Orris rhizomes extracts

Ionones. Violet flowers were used in perfumery in the past, but the oil was always very expensive because of the size of the flowers and the difficulty in extracting it. Iris roots possess a similar scent to that of violet flowers and the early work on their composition concentrated on the more readily available orris (an extract from iris rhizomes). It was assumed, incorrectly, that the key odour components were isomers of each other. The key components of orris are the irones (vide infra) and it... 

Orris rhizomes of both Italian and Moroccan origins are hydrodistilled in water (P) to provide an essential oil. Orris essential oils, which are solid at room temperature, are frequently misnamed concretes. They also go by the name of orris butter, which is explained by their butter-like texture. A subsequent purification step by alcohol extraction into an absolute eliminates the fatty acids from the essential oil (butter, concrete). 

Ground orris rhizomes to which an internal standard was added were extracted with hexane under reflux (Figure 3). After hexane concentration, irones were quantified by gas chromatography, following the French test standard NFT 75-424 (October 1996). This lab method provides results that correlate well with data obtained for actual industrial scale productions. The laboratory quantification method is useful for predicting industrial yields and is used as a guide for purchasing lots of orris rhizomes. 

Figure 4. HPLC of an Extract of Freshly Gathered Orris Rhizomes...

Figure 6. HPLC of an Extract Orris Rhizomes Aged 4 Years. Note that even after a long ageing period, irone precursors are not completely transformed into...

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