Estragon Oil

#### Estragon Oil. Also known as **Tarragon Oil**. In contrast to most other Artemisia oils, the essential oil of **Artemisia Dracunculus **is a sweet-smelling, spicy oil. The plant is a small member of the Compositae family, growing wild in many European and Asian countries. lt is widely cultivated as a culinary herb or household spice for its sweet-anisic, somewhat celery-leaf-like and fresh-green flavor for use in vinegar, pickles, seasonings, meat sauces, etc. Distillation of the estragon herb is accomplished almost exclusively in. France, although smaller quantities are produced in Holland, Hungary and the U. S. A. The whole overground part of the herb is steam distilled immediately prior to the inflorescence. **Estragon Oil **is a colorless or very pale yellow to greenish-yellow liquid with a sweet-anisic, green-spicy, slightly celery-like odor, very similar to that of the fresh herb. Like anise and basil oils, estragon oil tends to resinify on ageing; it becomes dark yellow and sticky, viscous, and loses its fresh green note and pleasant aroma. The flavor of the oil is sweet and slightly spicy-aromatic, reminiscent of anise and basil with a faint celery-note. A suggested use- level for **Estragon Oil **would be 0.20 to 0.50 mg%, and the Minimum Perceptible about 0.06 to 0.12 mg%. It is interesting to compare the flavor strength of this oil with that of synthetic **Estragole **(= methyl chavicol or para-methoxy allyl benzene). Estragole is the main constituent of estragon oil, and it is found in pine oil and in American turpentine oil. It is also prepared synthetically. The use level of **Estragole **is then 0.30 to 0.60 mg% and the **Minimum**** ****Perceptible**** **is 0.06 to 0.12 mg%. These figures do not reveal the wide difference in flavor type between estragol and estragon oil, but they do show that the natural oil with about 65% estragole compares favorably with pure estragole in flavor strength. Estragole is not, as we might expect, one-and-one-half times as strong as the essential oil. **Estragon Oil **is useful in trace amounts in chypre, l'Origan types, fougères, lilac bases, green floral bases, etc., where it blends well with galbanum, lavender, isoeugenol, methylionones, vanillin, cinnamic alcohol, oakmoss products, etc. The oil finds extensive use in flavors where it replaces the herb in the canning industry (pickles, etc.) and for certain types of liqueur flavors. Estragole (synthetic or isolated from pine oil) presents a serious threat to the unexperienced buyer of estragon oil. Fifty percent of estragole can easily be added to a good estragon oil (along with small amounts of phellandrene and other terpenes). The adulterated oil will show a "shorter life" on a perfume blotter, a too "clean" dryout, a lack of herbaceous undertone. A thorough olfactory and organoleptic evaluation will tell the experienced perfumer or flavorist whether or not he has a true estragon oil in front of him. Adulteration and "cutting" of this oil is extremely common. The annual production of the true oil is barely more than one metric ton.