Cedrela wood oil and its chemical composition

                                                                                         

Cedrela wood oil and its chemical composition

By Prashantkumar Kudli Shrinivas

Cedrela odorata, a member of the Mahogany family, is a deciduous tree from Central and South America reaching a height of 30 m.

In spite of its popular name, it has nothing to do with true cedar, which is a conifer. Cedrela is the classical source of wood used for making cigar boxes.

Its red brown wood is aromatic, light, soft and not attacked by insects.

The waste wood from producing cedrela boards and veneer can be steam distilled to yield an essential oil of pleasant dry woody odour with an undertone like carrot seed oil.

However, Cedrela odorata is now under protection as a threatened species in several countries. Hence the world wide production is restricted to few tons per annum.

Cedrela oil contains the main sesquiterpenes formed from cis- and trans-farnesyl pyrophosphate.

The oil is greenish yellow clear liquid.

The oil has dry, woody, cedar, cubeb, clove, carrot seed odour.

The chemical composition [ in %] of the wood oil is as follows;

Cadinene- 10-14

Copaene- 14-18

Cubebene- 10-14

Nerolidol- 8-10

Calarene-3-5

Curcumene- 6-8

Germacrene D- 2-4

Murrolene- 1-2

Farnesene- 2-3

Cubenol- 2-3

Caryophyllene- 1-2

The minor components in the oil are Bisabolol, Calamenene, Elemene, Gurjunene, Ledene, Ylangene,etc.

About the author:
Prashantkumar Kudli Shrinivas has a vast industrial experience of Aroma chemicals,Essential oils,Perfumery and Flavour formulations.

E-mail: prashantkudli@yahoo.co.in


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