Plant-originated perfumes

Conifer wood, balm trees, citrus fruits, coriander, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon grass, lilies, carnation, caraway, peppermint species, roses, rosemary, sage, thyme, violet and many other plants or parts of those (roots, rhizomes, stems, leaves, blossoms, fruits, seed) are well known to smell pleasantly, to taste spicy, or to exhibit specific pharmacological activities. Terpenes predominantly shape these properties. In order to enrich terpenes, the plants are carved, e.g. for the production of incense or myrrh from balm trees usually, however, terpenes are extracted or steam distilled, e.g. for the recovery of the precious oil of the blossoms of specific fragrant roses. These extracts and steam distillates, known as ethereal or essential oils ("essence absolue") are used to create fine perfumes, to refine the flavor and the aroma of food and drinks and to produce medicines of plant origin (phytopharmaca). 

The word perfume is derived from the Latin per fumum, which means through smoke. Perfumes are composed of compounds with pleasant odors. Originally, perfumes were derived from plant and animal sources. Plant smells include floral... 

Polianthes tuberosa is a bulbous plant originally derived from Mexico. It is grown in England under glass for the fragrance of its white flowers, which is most powerful at night. The tuberous bulbs are imported from Genoa, and also from North America, but even with artificial heat the flowers do not develop such a powerful perfume as in the South of France, where the plants are cultivated in the open air. 

L v ndin. Lavandin, Lavandula hjbrida as a plant species is of recent origin, unknown until the late 1920s. It is a hybrid of two common lavenders, l vandula officinalis and l vandula latifolia. Lavandin is cultivated mainly ia southern France and has become one of the most produced and used natural perfumery materials. The flowering tops of the shmb are used to produce a concrete, an absolute, and a steam-distilled oil the last is by far the most used. Low cost and refreshing odor quaUty allow lavandin to be employed ia a wide variety of perfume appHcations and at high concentrations. Chemically it is comprised of 30—32% linalool (3) and linalyl acetate (1), along with numerous other substances, mosdy terpenic. 

The quality of natural products depends considerably on their geographic origin, even if they are isolated from the same plant species. This may be partly due to variations in cultivation conditions, such as soil structure and climate, but also results from the fact that different varieties of the same plant species are cultivated in different areas. Thus, more than 500 natural raw materials are available for the creation of perfumes and flavors. 

Flavourists and perfumers are professionals engaged in the study and exploitation of materials capable of impacting the human senses of taste, smell, and chemesthesis. Flavourists work primarily with substances that are either derived (directly or indirectly) from plant or animal sources or chemically synthesised from petrochemicals to develop products intended for use in foods and beverages. Perfumers work mostly with materials of plant, animal, or petrochemical origin to create perfumes, fragranced personal care products, and scented household goods. 

The scents of plante are extracted in the form of oils, or utters, extracts, fragrant waters, et cetera and the skill and taste of the perfumer render them capable of being infinitelyextended and diversified by combination. In this way the great variety of bouquets hare their origin,... 

Before the 19th century, perfumers had at their disposal only natural products of plant and animal origin. Today, perfumers work with about 5,000 materials, most of which are produced synthetically. Among the approximately 100 monohydric alcohols used, all chemical types are represented. Several examples of aliphatic alcohols are shown in Figure 5. Nonyl alcohol and 3-octanol are typical fatty alcohols. These alcohols are often found in natural products but are seldom used because of their weak odor. 

Benzyl Acetate. Acetic acid phenylmethyl ester acetic acid benzyl ester. CgHj.O, mol wt 150.17, C 71.98%, H 6.71%, O 21.31%. C,H,CH.OOCCHy Occurs in a nom -ber of plants, particularly jasmine S. Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin (Elizabeth, N.J., 1960) pp 313-314. Prepd from benryl chloride, acetic acid or sodium acetate and triethyl amine Merker, Scott, J. Org. Chern. 26, 5180(1961) Hennis eta/, Ind, Eng. Chem., Prod Res. Develop. 6, 193 (1967). 

Raw materials used as perfumes include natural products (of plant or animal origin) and synthetic materials. 

Balsams, oleoresins solutions of resins in volatile oils. B. are produced either as normal plant constituents, or in response to pathological conditions or injury. Commercially, the most important B. is turpentine, produced (1-2 kg/tree/year) by conifers in re-ponse to bark injury. Steam distillation of the crude B. yields turpentine oils the residue is colophoy (rosin). Other B., usually named after the country of origin (e.g. Peru B., Canada B.), are used in perfumes and pharmaceuticals. 

The most important materials for the production of natural food flavourings (but also perfume compositions for cosmetic purposes) are essential oils, oleoresins, extracts, juices, pulps and distillates. They are obtained almost exclusively from plant materials, fresh or dried plants or parts of plants otherwise prepared for drugs. Materials called resinoids are primarily used for the fixation of fragrance compositions in cosmetics and only occasionally in foods. Drugs of animal origin are not used for the production of food flavourings, in contrast to cosmetic products. 

Patchouli Patchouli oil is produced by steam distillation of the dry leaves of Pogoste-mon cablin, a shrub-like plant that originated in the Philippines and Indonesia. Most production is done in Indonesia. Patchouli oil has a wonderfully rich odor profile which is described as warm, sweet, herbaceous, spicy, woody, and balsamic. It is relatively inexpensive for a namral product and is usually available in abundance. For these reasons, patchouli oil is very widely used in many kinds of perfumes. Its main odor-donating constituents are polycyclic alcohols. The best known of these, patchouli alcohol [5986-55-0] (23), is present in the oil to the extent of about 30%. However, it is believed that... 

G.i Absolut E essence absolue A. is a highly concentrated, entirely alcohol-soluble, normally liquid perfume and flavor raw material, reflecting the entire hydrocarbon-soluble odorous principle of a clearly defined (species/origin) plant material, It is obtained by alcohol - extraction of -+concretes, - resinoids or - pommades. These products are mixed and stirred in alcohol at r.t. or under gentle heat, The well-mixed alcoholic extract is then chilled under stirring for a considerable time (up to several weeks). Waxes, sesqui ter-penes and most odorless matters precipitate and are removed by filtration or centrifugation. Subsequent recovery of the alcohol by evaporation yields a. 

C. is a perfumery material prepared from clearly defined (by species/origin) plant materials, such as flowers, barks, herbs, leaves and roots, by hydrocarbon solvent extraction. Solvents used are petroleum ether, benzene, butane, etc. The resulting c. consists of all hydrocarbon-soluble substances contained in the plant material, which, apart from the odorous materials, include - fatty acids, such as - lauric acid and - myristic acid. This explains why concretes (from the French language for solid) are usually solid-waxy masses, which need to be fiirther purified if to be tised in - fragrances for alcohol-based - perfumes. The alcohol-soluble matter is known as - absolute, of which most concretes contain about 50% (range from 20-80%). 

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