Absolute
Absolutes are mostly highly concentrated oily fragrances obtained from plants. While essential oils are usually obtained by steam distillation, the extraction of the absolutes takes place at room temperature with the help of solvents .
Procedure
The plant material is placed in a solvent such as hexane , petroleum ether , toluene , methanol , or ethanol . The solvent is then removed by cooling, filtration and evaporation. The result is a solvent-free paste, the concrète , which is then mixed with alcohol and filtered. This solution can then be used in perfumes .
Character and use
Absolutes are usually more concentrated than essential oils. Due to the low temperatures, the extraction process is gentler than the extraction of essential oils, which is why the scent comes closer to the original plant. A classic example is the difference between distilled rose fragrance and rose absolute. Incidentally, some raw materials are too fragile to be obtained using the classic distillation process, which is why an absolute has to be produced here. Examples of this are jasmine or beeswax .
Well-known absolutes are obtained from acacia , champaca , oakmoss , frangipani , gorse , hay, heliotrope , hyacinth , iris , jasmine , lotus flowers , magnolia , mimosa , narcissus , osmanthus , rose , tobacco , tonka bean , tuberose , vanilla .
literature
- Eliane Zimmermann : Aromatherapy for care and health professions. Sonntag Verlag, 2006, ISBN 978-3830491149 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Renato Strassmann: Fragrance Medicine: The way to encounter the fragrances . 2nd Edition. books on demand, 2012, ISBN 978-3-9503341-4-2 , pp. 39 f .
- ^ Karl-Georg Fahlbusch et al .: Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry . In: Flavors and Fragrances . 7th edition. Wiley, 2007, p. 83 .
- ↑ Eliane Zimmermann: Aromatherapy for nursing and healing professions: course book for training and practice . 5th edition. Thieme, 2011, ISBN 978-3-8304-7568-2 .