Castoreum

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the fungus genus, see Castoreum (fungus). Not to be confused with Castor oil.
Castoreum

Castoreum

scent glands are misnomers.[4]

It is used as a tincture in some perfumes[5] and, rarely, as a food additive.[6]

Chemical composition

At least 24 compounds are known constituents of beaver castoreum. Several of these have

o-cresol, 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone, hydroquinone, phenol. All those compounds are gathered from plant food.[9] It also contains nupharamine alkaloids[10] and castoramine,[11] and cis-cyclohexane-1,2-diol.[12]

Uses

In perfume

North American beavers at the Smithsonian National Zoo, in Washington, D.C.

In

perfumery, the term castoreum refers to the resinoid extract resulting from the dried and alcohol tinctured beaver castor.[13]
The dried beaver castor sacs are generally aged for two or more years to mellow.

Castoreum is largely used for its note suggesting leather, typically compounded with other ingredients including top, middle, and base notes. Some classic perfumes incorporating castor are Emeraude, Chanel Antaeus, Cuir de Russie, Magie Noire, Lancôme Caractère, Hechter Madame, Givenchy III, Shalimar, and many "leather" themed compositions.[5]

In food

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration lists castoreum extract as a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) food additive.[14] In 1965, the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association's GRAS program (FEMA 2261 and 2262) added castoreum extract and castoreum liquid.[15] The annual industry consumption is very low, around 100 kilograms (300 lb),[16] whereas vanillin is over 1.2×10^6 kg (2.6×10^6 lb) annually.[17]

Castoreum has been traditionally used in Sweden for flavoring a variety of schnapps commonly referred to as Bäverhojt (lit. 'beaver shout').[18][19]

Other

Castoreum was also considered for use to contribute to the flavor and odor of cigarettes.[20]

Medieval beekeepers used castoreum to increase honey production.[9]

Related animal products

  • Taxea, a secretion of the badger's subcaudal glands comparable in its medicinal use to the better-known castoreum
  • Cape hyrax
    (Procavia capensis), and a sought-after material that has been used in traditional South African medicine and perfumery

See also

References

  1. ^ Walro, J.M. and Svendsen, G.E., "Castor sacs and anal glands of the North American beaver (Castor canadensis): their histology, development, and relationship to scent communication". Journal of Chemical Ecology, Volume 8, Number 5 / May 1982, Department of Zoology and Microbiology, Ohio University,
  2. ^ Müller-Schwarze, Dietland (1992). "Castoreum of beaver (Castor canadensis): function, chemistry and biological activity of its components". Chemical Signals in Vertebrates IV, 457–464, Plenum Press.
  3. ISBN 0-306-46114-5
    .
  4. JSTOR 2425894
    .
  5. ^ a b International Perfume Museum, Grasse, France, Website: "Welcome in the International Perfume Museum: Raw materials". Archived from the original on 2007-06-24. Retrieved 2006-02-28.
  6. S2CID 39977652. Free access icon
  7. doi:10.1007/BF00994195
  8. doi:10.1007/BF02033674
  9. ^ a b The Beaver: Its Life and Impact. Dietland Muller-Schwarze, 2003, page 43 (book at Google Books)
  10. doi:10.1002/anie.200805606
  11. doi:10.1002/hlca.19760590420
  12. doi:10.1007/BF02160827
  13. ^ Hyraceum.com, "Castoreum, Perfumer's Ancient Intrigue," http://www.hyraceum.com Archived February 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  14. S2CID 39977652. Free access icon
  15. ^ Recent Progress In the Consideration Under of Flavoring Ingredients the Food Additives Amendment (1965)
  16. ^ Burdock, George A., Fenaroli's handbook of flavor ingredients Archived 2021-01-09 at the Wayback Machine. CRC Press, 2010. p. 273-5.
  17. ^ Burdock, George A., Fenaroli's handbook of flavor ingredients Archived 2021-01-09 at the Wayback Machine. CRC Press, 2010. p. 674.
  18. ^ Baron Ambrosia (26 February 2015). "Tales from the Fringe: Beaver Gland Vodka". PunchDrink.com. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  19. ^ "BVR HJT". Archived from the original on 2013-08-26. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  20. ^ [1] United States Patent Application Publication

External links

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