Eucalyptus Oil

Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus globus, or Blue Gum, oil was a traditional Australian aboriginal remedy for infections and fevers. It is now used all over the world for relieving coughs and colds, sore throats and other infections.

Eucalyptus oil production now totals 5,000 tons. The majority is produced in China from camphor oil fractions, with a steadily decreasing proportion of true eucalyptus oil coming from Portugal, South Africa and Spain.

An additional 400 tons of a “eucalyptus” oil from camphor oil fractions are produced annually in China.

Eucalyptus leaves yield 1.5% on steam distillation. The demand for cineole eucalyptus oils is increasing steadily.

The major markets are Western Europe (60%) and the United States (20%).

The major components of eucalyptus oil are typically:

75% 1.8 cineole (fresh, eucalyptus)
10% alpha-pinene (light, pine)
2% para –cymene (light, citrus)
2% limonene (light, weak, citrus)

Eucalyptus oils are often sold by their cineole (eucalyptol) content. The major use for particular oil is in blends to give a fresh bright, slightly medicinal note particularly in conjunction with peppermint and aniseed oils.

It may also be used in small quantities in other natural flavors such as blackcurrant. There are no legal restrictions on the use of eucalyptus oil in flavorings.
Eucalyptus Oil

Garlic Oil

Garlic Oil
The essential oil of garlic can be recovered by steam distillation of the freshly crushed cloves, the yielding being 0.1 to 0.2%.

Garlic oil is a powerful flavoring agent and is widely used in seasonings either as a liquid flavor or dispersed as a dry-carrier.

Many problems arise when fresh garlic is included in a food product.

The commercially-available vegetable occurs as a compound bulb made up of 10 to 14 small “cloves” encased in a tough outer skin.

The bulb must first be cleaned and sorted, the outer tissues removed and the cloves separated. The garlic is then ready for mincing, cutting or crushing.

The whole process is tedious and the manufacturing department becomes permeated with the smell.

This can give rise to the problem of cross-contamination unless great care is taken.

Like all other natural products, the flavoring effect of fresh garlic is variable whereas that of garlic oil is relatively consistent.

It is not surprising, therefore, that garlic oil is now widely used in place of the fresh vegetable.

To overcome the objectionable odor associated with both fresh garlic and garlic oil, the use of an encapsulated garlic oil is strongly recommended.

This dry powder is almost free of odor and does not release its contents until the capsule is broken down by admixture with water.
Garlic Oil

Cornmint Oil

Cornmint Oil
Botanically name Mentha Arvensis. About 7,100 tons of cornmint oil (sometimes incorrectly called Chinese peppermint oil) are produced annually.

It is almost all converted into menthol (2,800 tons) and dementholized oil (4,300 tons). China accounts for around 65% of the world production and India accounts for most of the remainder.

Dried plants yield 2.5% oil by steam distillation. Cheap synthetic menthol has reduced the demand for cornmint oil into the main markets in the Unites States, Western Europe and Japan.

The major quantitative components of the dementholized oil are typically:
35% laevo- menthol (cooling, light, mint)
30% laevo-menthone (harsh, herbal, mint)
8% iso-menthone (harsh, herbal, mint)
5%limonene (weak light, citrus)
3% laevo-menthyl acetate (light, cedar, mint)
3% piperitone (herbal, mint)
1% octa-3-ol (herbal, oily)

Cornmint oil contains about 1% of pulegone (pennyroyal mint odor) which is suspected of being toxic. The raw oils are rectified to remove some of the front and back fractions.

Careful blending of fractions can reduce the characteristically harsh odor of cornmint oil but it still remains much less attractive than peppermint oil. Adulteration of cornmint oil is not a commercially attractive proposition.

Most cornmint oils are used to give a cheap peppermint flavor to a wide range of applications often blended with true peppermint oil. It is more frequently used in blended flavors than peppermint oil because of its price advantage.
Cornmint Oil