Seamus Hammond
Lychee is a popular fragrance note in perfumes, adding an exotic and cheerful touch to floral bouquets. However, it is impossible to directly extract essential oil from its pulp. Instead, the lychee aroma is recreated in the laboratory, often using cis rose oxide, a naturally occurring molecule in rose and geranium that shares a similar scent. In this article, we will explore the process of extracting fragrance from lychee and its use in perfumery.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Extraction method | Distillation, extraction, infusion |
| Natural fragrance | Recreated in a laboratory using cis-rose oxide |
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What You'll Learn
- Lychee aroma is recreated in a laboratory
- Cis rose oxide is a molecule found in roses and geraniums that shares a similar scent to lychee
- Distillation, extraction and infusion are processes used to extract natural flavours
- Lychee is a popular note in feminine fragrances
- Lychee is native to China and Southeast Asia
Lychee aroma is recreated in a laboratory
It is impossible to directly extract essential oil from lychee pulp, so its aroma is recreated in a laboratory. This is done using cis rose oxide, a naturally occurring molecule found in roses and geraniums that shares a similar scent to lychee. This process of synthesising flavours is not new, and has been used for centuries. Distillation, extraction and infusion are among the processes used to extract natural flavours.
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Cis rose oxide is a molecule found in roses and geraniums that shares a similar scent to lychee
It is not possible to directly extract essential oil from lychee pulp. Instead, the lychee aroma is recreated in the laboratory, using cis rose oxide. This is a naturally occurring molecule found in roses and geraniums that shares a similar scent to lychee.
Rose oxide is an organic compound of the pyran and monoterpene classes. It has a molecular formula of C10H18O. Its four stereoisomeric forms have very different olfactory properties. Only (−)-cis-28 possesses the unique bloomy note of geranium and rose oil, and it is the more powerful isomer in terms of odour threshold value.
The name 'rose oxide' comes from the fact that the compound has the same fragrance as rose or rose oil. It is a flavour-rich component and can be found in some essential oils, like Bulgarian rose oil. Rose oxide is one of the most important fragrance materials in creating rosy notes for perfumes. It is also used in cosmetics, personal care products, cleaners, detergents, and home care products.
The synthesis of rose oxide is based on the photoxygenation of (−)-citronellol. This process allows for the recreation of the scent of rose at a more affordable price, and for the creation of an endless variety of rose scents not found in nature.
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Distillation, extraction and infusion are processes used to extract natural flavours
Lychee, also spelled litchi or lichi, is a fruit native to China and Southeast Asia. It grows on an exotic tree in the sapindaceae family. It has a translucid white pulp with a slightly sour flavour, encompassed by a reddish shell. Its subtle fragrance is reminiscent of roses.
Lychee notes are reproduced in a laboratory since it is not possible to extract an essential oil directly from the fruit. A helpful ingredient is cis-rose oxide, a molecule that smells like lychee and can also be found in nature in roses and geraniums.
Synthesised flavourings are compounds of chemicals usually found in natural products but assembled to taste like the real thing. An example is black and white truffle, which are impossible to obtain naturally and are synthesised to resemble the actual flavours.
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Lychee is a popular note in feminine fragrances
However, it is impossible to directly extract essential oil from the lychee's pulp. Instead, the aroma is recreated in a laboratory, often using cis-rose oxide, a molecule found naturally in roses and geraniums that shares a similar scent to lychees. This process of synthesising flavours is not new and has been used for centuries. Distillation, extraction and infusion are among the processes used to extract natural flavours.
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Lychee is native to China and Southeast Asia
Lychee has been cultivated in China for over 2100 years, making it one of the oldest documented fruit trees. The first reference to this fruit is available in the literature of the Han dynasty (140 BC to 86 BC). Lychee cultivation was first mentioned in 111 B.C., where it appears in the royal records of Emperor Han Wudi who ordered it to be planted within his palace walls.
Lychee is a non-climacteric fruit of Southeast Asian origin. There are three distinct subspecies of lychee. The most common is the Indochinese lychee found in South China, Malaysia, and northern Vietnam. The other two are the Philippine lychee (locally called alupag or matamata) found only in the Philippines and the Javanese lychee cultivated in Indonesia and Malaysia.
As it is impossible to directly extract essential oil from its pulp, the lychee aroma is recreated in the laboratory, often using cis rose oxide, a naturally occurring molecule in rose and geranium that shares a similar scent. Distillation, extraction and infusion are among the processes used to extract natural flavours.
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Frequently asked questions
It is impossible to directly extract essential oil from lychee pulp, so the fragrance is recreated in a laboratory.
A molecule called cis rose oxide, which is naturally occurring in roses and geraniums, is used to recreate the scent of lychee.
Distillation, extraction and infusion are among the processes used to extract natural fragrances.
Lychee fragrance is subtle and reminiscent of roses.
