Odour
Extremely diffusive odor. Initial notes resemble lovage root oil, celery seed oil and mentha citrata oil. Undertone and dryout notes are extremely sweet-aromatic, sweet-floral, reminiscent of cardamom oil and bergamot oil. The celery-lovage note is quite persistent throughout the stages of evaporation, and the tenacity is good.
Flavour
Even more interesting than the odor, revealing all virtues and components at various stages of dilution. Average use level 0.01 to 0.06 mg%. Minimum Perceptible approximately 0.0001 to 0.0002 mg%. With a power-factor of over 100, it is unique as a most penetrating flavor.
Notes
Probably the most powerful natural flavor material encountered by the author. Use strictly limited to compositions where lovage-celery-cardamom flavor is acceptable. Used experimentally in artificial cardamom oil. Would require exceptional skill to use successfully in perfumery.
Full Arctander text
#### Lovage Herb Oil.
Probably the most powerful natural flavor material that the author has ever encountered in his studies is the essential oil of **Lovage**** ****Herb**. See monograph on **Lovage**** ****Root**** ****Oil**** **for details about the botanical origin, etc.
**Lovage**** ****Herb**** ****Oil**** **is steam distilled from the freshly harvested overground parts of the lovage plant at full maturity. The oil is not produced on a commercial scale, but smaller lots are available from Yugoslavia, Hungary and Belgium.
The oil is a colorless or very pale yellow to greenish-yellow, mobile liquid of extremely diffusive odor. The initial notes of its odor resemble those of lovage root oil, celery seed oil and mentha citrata oil. The undertone and dryout notes are extremely sweet-aromatic, sweet-floral, reminiscent of cardamom oil and bergamot oil. The celerylovage note is quite persistent throughout the stages of evaporation, and the tenacity is good. The flavor is even more interesting to study since it reveals all the virtues—and many of the components—of the oil at various stages of dilution. Although the author would recommend an average use level of 0.01 to 0.06 mg% in neutral media, it is difficult to give exact figures in the case of an oil with a very peculiar flavor type. Its use is strictly limited to such flavor compositions where a lovage-celery-cardamom flavor will be accepted. The **Minimum Perceptible **of this oil is approximately 0.0001 to 0.0002 mg%. In other words, the flavor of this oil can be identified as lovage (lovage-type) flavor in the dilution of one part in more than 500 million parts of a 9% sugar water at 10°C. In a previous publication, the author has pointed out the use of the flavor "power-factor" (Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics, April 1959, page 389—393). With a "power-factor" of over 100 (the minimum perceptible is at least 100 times lower than the "pleasant average" use level), the oil of Lovage Herb is unique as a most penetrating flavor.
The oil can find use in numerous types of food flavor, meat sauces, seasonings, pickle flavors, etc. The author has used the oil experimentally in an artificial cardamom oil, and it is very likely that the oil can find a wider field of application. Its use in perfumery would be very limited, and it would take more than the average of experience and skill to incorporate this oil successfully in a perfume for cosmetic purposes.
See also **Lovage**** ****Root**** ****Oil.**