Ambrette Seeds
Hibiscus abelmoschus · Malvaceae
Flavour
Lend excellent 'body' to synthetic mixtures of flavor materials.
See also
- Ambrette Seed Absolute
- Ambrette Seed Concrète
- Ambrette Seed Oil
- Ambrette Seed Tincture
Notes
Four different materials can be produced: Oil (liquid or solid), Concrète (rarely produced), Absolute (prepared by purification of oil), and Tincture. Distillation now carried out mostly in Europe and USA rather than locally.
Full Arctander text
#### Ambrette Seed.
**Ambrette Seeds **are produced in the fruits of a cultivated plant**, Hibiscus Abelmoschus**, in Angola (West Africa), Ecuador, Hai-nan (China), Indonesia, Madagascar (Nossi-Bé), Martinique (West Indies), Seychelles (Indian Ocean), etc.
The essential oil has been produced locally in Nossi-Bé, but distillation is now carried out mostly in Europe and in the United States of America. Four different perfume and flavor materials can be produced from the seeds:
- **Ambrette**** ****Seed**** ****Oil**, liquid or solid.
- **Ambrette**** ****Seed**** ****Concrète**, and from the concrète:
- **Ambrette**** ****Seed**** ****Absolute**. Finally, an
- **Ambrette**** ****Seed**** ****Tincture**** **is produced.
Product No. 2) is of little or no importance. It is an intermediate, and is rarely produced at all. Product No. 3) is prepared by "purification" of product No. 1). For details, see below. A true **Concrète**** ****of**** ****Ambrette**** ****Seed**** **and a **Tincture**** **are occasionally used in certain flavor compositions where they lend excellent "body" to synthetic mixtures of flavor materials.