Parsley Seed Oil

#### Parsley Seed Oil. This oil is produced by steam distillation of the ripe fruit, also called seed, of **Petroselinum**** ****Sativum**, the common parsley (see **Parsley**** ****Herb**** ****Oil***,** *previous monograph for origin of plant). The plant is widely cultivated and has been cultivated for so many centuries that it hardly can be found in its wild state any more. Cultivation for the purpose of producing seed for distillation is actually not very common. Most of the seed for distillation is derived from surplus stock, since the parsley fruit loses its germinating power rapidly. Superannuated seed yield almost the same amount and quality of oil as that derived from current year's crop. France, Poland, Holland, Germany and Hungary are the principal growers. Distillation is carried out mainly in France, to a smaller degree in Hungary, Germany and Holland. The exhaust seed is sold as cattle feed, a fact which partly explains the economy of the production of parsley seed oil. Some perfume houses import their own seed (usually from Poland or France) and distil oil to their individual demands. Parsley seed oil is a yellowish to amber-colored or brownish liquid, more or less viscous. Upon cooling, it may deposit crystals of **Apiole, **chemically a methoxy-myristicin. The oil also contains myristicin, and is considered toxic by many authorities, with approximately twice the hazard of materials such as coumarin. However, parsley seed, nutmeg and many other myristicin-containing natural materials are still widely used in food. The odor of **Parsley Seed Oil **is warm-woody, spicy, somewhat sweet-herbaceous but, in the author's opinion, not at all reminiscent of parsley *herb *(as described elsewhere in the literature). Its flavor is equally warm-spicy, aromatic, rich and deep, but unfortunately quite bitter. Thus, in flavor compounds, the oil must be well blended with sweeter tasting spice oils in order to exploit the typical and pleasant effects of the parsley oil fully. The suggested use level is 0.60 to 2.00 mg%, and the **Minimum**** ****Perceptible**** **is 0.20 to 0.40 mg%. It is weaker than the herb oil. Parsley seed oil is used in perfumery for so- called "special effects". It is more spicy-aromatic and less fatty-woody than carrot seed oil. Accordingly, the use of parsley seed oil in perfumery is restricted to such fragrances where a warm-spicy effect is called for: Oriental bases, chypres, "men's fragrances", colognes, certain modern fantasy perfumes, etc. The oil is also used in certain types of rose and orange flower bases. It blends well with anisaldehyde, anisalcohol, cananga oil, coumarin, isoeugenol, linalool, melaleuca alternifolia oil, nerol, oakmoss products, sage clary oil, tetrahydro myrcenol, terpineol etc. However, the main use of parsley seed oil is in flavors for meat sauces, seasonings, spice blends, canned food, pickles, etc. The oil has even been used in tobacco flavoring. The limited availability of this oil puts a certain limit to its use, and it may never become really common in perfumery. See also **Parsley**** ****Herb**** ****Oil,**** **previous monograph.