Odour
Rich, sweet, floral-musky, distinctly wine-like or brandy-like odor with a bouquet and roundness rarely found in any other perfume material. Has some notes in common with cypress oil, Bulgarian rose oil, sage clary and cognac oil. Certain tobacco-like and overripe fruit-like notes with great similarity to higher esters of decyl alcohol. Tenacity of odor which is almost incredible.
Flavour
Displays features which are quite unique. Suggested use level 0.10 to 0.30 mg%, Minimum Perceptible about 0.01 to 0.04 mg%. One part in ten million parts of neutral sweetened fluid is distinctly recognizable to the taste.
Blends well with
aliphatic aldehydes
cyclamal
hydroxycitronellal
methylionones
neroli
rose
sandalwood oil
Common adulterants
- Ambrettolide
- farnesol
- macro-cyclic lactones
Used as a blend partner in
Notes
Should be aged for several months before use. Should be stored in 50% or 10% alcoholic solution at reduced temperature to prevent rancid notes. Known for exalting effect and unique bouquet. Very expensive materials.
Full Arctander text
#### Ambrette Seed Oil.
When **Ambrette**** ****Seeds**** **are distilled whole (uncrushed), a liquid essential oil is produced. This oil contains only small amounts of the odorless palmitic acid. Crushed seeds yield a solid essential oil (so-called "concrète"; compare this to "**Orris**** ****Concrète**"). The solid oil contains a very high amount of palmitic acid, and the oil is quite similar to the concrète extraction product (true Ambrette Seed Concrète).
A true **Concrète**** **is produced by hydrocarbon extraction of the crushed seeds. It consists mainly of palmitic and myristic acids, unstable and odorless materials. This type of concrète has very little importance in perfumery or flavor work. From the above summary, it can be seen that some confusion exists with respect to the nomenclature of ambrette seed products.
Liquid Ambrette Seed Oil should be allowed to age for several months before being used in perfumes or flavors. By then, the initial fatty notes are subdued, and a rich, sweet, floral-musky, distinctly wine-like or brandy-like odor is developed with a bouquet and roundness rarely found in any other perfume material. The odor has some notes in common with cypress
oil, Bulgarian rose oil, sage clary and cognac oil. There are certain tobacco-like and "overripe fruit"-like notes with great similarity to higher esters of decyl alcohol. The water-white or pale yellow oil displays a tenacity of odor which is almost incredible. As a flavor material, it also displays features which are quite unique. A suggested use level would be 0.10 to 0.30 mg%, while the **Minimum Perceptible**** **is about 0.01 to 0.04 mg%. One part of **Ambrette**** ****Seed**** ****Oil **in ten million parts of neutral sweetened fluid is distinctly recognizable to the taste. The odor of these dilutions remains very characteristic of ambrette seed oil.
The oil should be stored in a 50% or 10% alcoholic solution at reduced temperature in order to prevent the appearance of rancid notes due to a possible decomposition of traces of fatty oils and acids in the essential oil (or in the absolute).
**Ambrette**** ****Seed**** ****Oil**** **and **Ambrette**** ****Seed**** ****Absolute**** **find application in perfumes of the more sophisticated type. These materials blend excellently with rose**, **neroli, methylionones, sandalwood oil, cyclamal, hydroxycitronellal and aliphatic aldehydes, etc.
**Ambrette Seed **(oil or absolute) are known for the "exalting" effect which they impart to perfumes, and for the unique bouquet they lend to perfumes and flavors. They are very expensive materials, and the annual production can be measured in two-figured kilo-amounts. Adulteration with synthetic **Ambrettolide **(a natural constituent of ambrette seed) or with similar macro- cyclic lactones, and with farnesol, etc. is not infrequent.