Jasmin Absolute from Concrète

#### Jasmin Absolute from Concrète. Of the two main types of Jasmin Absolute, the one made from concrète is the most important by far. It is produced by alcohol-extraction of jasmin concrète (see monograph). This extraction process is usually carried out in France who supplies most of the commercially available **Jasmin**** ****Absolute**. However, substantial quantities of absolute are produced by the larger consumers who purchase jasmin concrète, sometimes from several different sources other than French in order to obtain a uniform quality which can be reproduced year after year. These consumers will themselves process the concrète into jasmin absolute according to their special needs. Minor quantities of jasmin absolute are produced in Italy, Morocco, Egypt, India, Formosa, and China. In India, the jasmin flowers are known as **Chameli **or **Chambeli**. The so-called Chamei Attar is produced from jasmin flowers by extraction with hot fat. Jasmin Absolute from Concrète is a dark orange (on ageing reddish-brown), somewhat viscous liquid, and it possesses an intensely floral, warm, rich and highly diffusive odor with a peculiar waxy-herbaceous, oily-fruity and tea-like undertone. The odor and the nuances in the undertone varies according to the origin, production, age and method of purification (from the concrète). Jasmin absolute represents one of the most striking examples of nature's ability to round off and conceal—or unsurpassably utilize—the odor- effect of very simple odorants, e. g. benzyl acetate and linalool, the main constituents of jasmin absolute (in respect to quantity). Most perfumers have, at one time or another in their experience, tried to duplicate the jasmin fragrance by relying upon literature information as to the chemical composition of jasmin absolute (a very unartistic approach to a perfumery problem!). The perfumers will no doubt agree that the problem is not solved, nor is it hardly even approached in this way. The odor of a mixture of benzyl acetate, linalool, benzyl alcohol, methyl anthranilate. indole, etc. in the analyzed proportions is far from representative of the jasmin fragrance. More recently, a number of low-percentage components have been identified in the jasmin absolute, and these findings have greatly contributed to the improvement of artificial jasmin flower oil bases. A large number of synthetic materials, some of them chemically related to the jasmones, have been developed, and these are of great help to the creative perfumer in his attempts to reproduce the much wanted jasmin effect at a lower cost. A few natural perfume materials with no relationship whatever to jasmin (apart from the following) can be incorporated in artificial jasmin bases, and they lend striking true-to-nature effects: The deep-herbaceous tea-like notes from tealeaf or maté-extracts, the waxy or honeylike sweetness from beeswax extracts, the grassy fattiness from perilla oil or gingergrass oil, the warm tobacco- like and herbaceous notes from chamomile oils, the fatty-cresylic notes from high-boiling ethers of para-cresol (iso-butyrate, salicylate, caprylate, etc.), the tobacco-leaf-like notes from esters of nicotinic acid (methyl or propyl), are known examples from successful artificial jasmin bases. **Jasmin Absolute from Concrète **is used in such a multitude and variety of perfumes that it is hardly possible to establish a rule for its use. "No perfume without jasmin" is an old saying, and this is not far from the fact. The jasmin-rose complex forms the more important part or "fond" of numerous "grands parfums" as well as quite ordinary perfumes and bases. The floral note, when required, is provided by the addition of jasmin absolute or any kind of a jasmin base in 8 out of 10 cases. And the practising perfume student will be surprised when he learns how little jasmin absolute he has to use in order to obtain just enough of a "floral" note. With that fact in consideration, even a true jasmin absolute is rarely too expensive to use. The annual production of jasmin absolute from concrète can be roughly estimated from the known production of jasmin concrète which is in the order of magnitude of 10 metric tons. Only a minor portion of the concrète is used as such; the balance is processed into absolute, totalling about 4 metric tons per year, including private productions. The value of the total world production of extracted jasmin products can be estimated at about *5** *million U.S. dollars. Jasmin absolute is frequently adulterated. Its high cost seems to tempt certain suppliers and producers beyond their moral resistance. Additions of indole, amyl cinnamic aldehyde, ylang-ylang fractions, jasmin absolute from châssis (see monograph), artificial jasmin bases, various synthetic jasmones and homologues, etc. occur quite frequently in commercial lots of jasmin absolute from concrète. The quality of the various absolutes from French, Italian, Moroccan, Formosan, Corsican, Egyptian or other concrètes affects the quality of the corresponding absolutes. The method of processing concrètes into absolutes is an art and a science which demands experience, skill and general "know-how". Accordingly, the evaluation of jasmin absolutes prior to the purchase of this expensive and important raw material, is a very important part of the perfumer's job.