Angelica oil

Chemical properties

Essential oil; strong aromatic odor; spicy taste. Soluble in alcohol. Chief known constituents: phellandrene, valeric acid. Combustible.

Chemical properties

Angelica seed oil is obtained by steam distillation of the fresh seed of Angelica archangelica L. It has a sweeter and more delicate aroma than the root oil. The essential seed oil has a bitter, aromatic flavor. The essential seed oil is obtained in 0.6 to 1.5% yields by steam distillation of seeds harvested in mid-July (in Germany)

Chemical properties

The essential root oil is obtained by steam distillation of the roots. The pale-yellow to deep-amber liquid has a warm, pungent odor with musky or earthy notes and has a bittersweet flavor. The yield from the roots is fairly low even though they may be steam distilled for up to 24 hours; these factors, coupled with the qualitative differences in old versus young roots and the laborintensive process in digging and cleaning the roots, make the root oil fairly expensive.

Physical properties

It is a light yellow liquid. Soluble in most fixed oils, slightly soluble in mineral oil, but relatively insoluble in glycerin and propylene glycol.

Physical properties

It is a pale-yellow to deep-amber liquid having a warm, pungent odor and bittersweet taste. Soluble in most fixed oils, slightly soluble in mineral oil, but relatively insoluble in glycerin and in propylene glycol

Occurrence

Found in the roots of the plant Archangelica officinalis Hoffm.(Angelica archangelica L.) (Fam. Umbelliferae).

The Uses of Angelica oil

Preparation of liqueurs, perfumery.

Preparation

Angelica oil is prepared from Angelica roots or seeds.
Angelica root oil contains about 90% terpenoids and sesquiterpenoids.α-Pinene, 3-carene, limonene, and β-phellandrene are the major components (together about 60%). In addition, the oil contains a large number of oxygen-containing compounds, of which the macrolides 15-pentadecanolide and 13-tridecanolide are essential odor components. Angelica oils are produced in very small quantities, for example, in Europe (France, Hungary) and India. They are used mainly in the alcoholic beverage industry and, in very low dosages, also in fine fragrances.

Definition

Extractives and their physically modified derivatives. Angelica archangelica, Umbelliferae.

Essential oil composition

Terpenic hydrocarbons (α-pinene 4.4 to 24%, α-phellandrene 7.5–20%, β-phellandrene 16 to 24%, β-pinne 0.2 to 0.5%); macrocyclic lactone 0.8 to 2.4% (CoE, 2000). TNO (2000) reported 87 compounds from the angelica root oil. Of these, 43 were hydrocarbons, 22 alcohols and the remaining were esters, carbonyl aldehydes, carbonyl ketones, lactones, phenols, furans and oxides or epoxides of pyrans and coumarins.

Essential oil composition

The seed oil qualitatively contains α-pinene, camphene, β-pinene, myrcene, β-phellandrene, ocimene (no isomer given), limonene, γ-terpinene, caryophyllene, p-cymene, 1,8-cineole, borneol, carvone. The seed oil contains 0.5% imperratorin, 0.1% bergapten, 0.02% xanthotoxol, 0.04% umbelliprenin, osthole, osthenole and angelicin (CoE, 2000).

Safety Profile

When heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes.