J. Cosmet. Sci., 64, 483–493 (November/December 2013) 483 Aroma profi les and preferences of Jasminum sambac L. fl owers grown in Thailand MAYUREE KANLAYAVATTANAKUL, SARUN KITSIRIPAISARN, and NATTAYA LOURITH, School of Cosmetic Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand. Accepted for publication July 11, 2013. Synopsis Comparison of volatile constituents and odor preference of Jasminum sambac cultivated in Thailand was per- formed by enfl eurage and solvent extractions. Enfl eurage bases consisting of spermaceti wax, olive, sunfl ower, and rice bran oils were prepared. The defl eurage fl ower was daily replaced with fresh jasmine for a period of 12 days. The absolute de pomades and extraits of each base were subjected to gas chromatography mass spec- trometry (GC/MS) analysis, comparing with the concrete and absolute values obtained from maceration of jasmine in n-hexane for 24 h. Linalool, benzyl acetate, and α-farnesene were found as the main volatile com- pounds in the jasmine extracts. Spermaceti wax and olive oil gave the best quality base, exhibiting the most preferred resemblance of jasmine odor with the least difference from fresh jasmine, as evaluated by 103 Thai volunteers. INTRODUCTION Fragrance applications, including perfumes and aromatherapy are increasing and are pre- sented in a wide range of products for personal care, cleansing, washing, as well as con- sumer goods such as toilet paper, paper tissues, candles, etc. In addition, fragrance applications for indoor air modifi cation, such as in shopping malls, offi ces, and restau- rants are gaining importance in the present society. Therefore, production value to supply higher demand is increasing (1) and the number of fragrances in each application product is increasing accordingly, especially perfumes (2). In particular, fl oral notes are mainly in demand (3), although those of marine fragrance is becoming of interest in the perfumery business (4,5). Enfl eurage or cold fat extraction is one of the classical methods for aroma preparation from fl owers. It is based on the absorption of volatile oil in fragrant fl ower onto fat for a period of time depending on the fl owers. The fragrant saturated fat (pomade) is removed afterward. Thus, the fat base is of importance in enfl eurage, which must be odorless with high consistency offering a semihard surface to allow suffi cient absorption of fragrances Address all correspondence to Nattaya Lourith at nattayal@mfu.ac.th.

JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE 484 and simply removal of the fl ower, retaining the fat surface. Although there are compli- cated and laborious steps in enfl eurage, several advanced techniques have been archived in aroma preparation in addition to those of synthetic aroma materials. True natural fra- grances, particularly fl ower oils of a certain high quality are necessary to be produced by enfl eurage. Countries and regions such as Bulgaria, Egypt, Algeria, and Sicily (Italy), and in particular Grasse (France), produce high-quality natural fl ower oils by this method (6). Enfl eurage has been revorded since the ancient Egypt, and was largely used to prepare perfumed oils. Documented evidence shows that the pomade was applied directly to the ancient Egyptian’s hair (7). However, the pomade is inconvenient to use with respect to the current living style. Therefore, further extraction with absolute ethanol producing absolute de pomade and, consequently, removal of solvent yields an extrait that has more applications (8). Jasmine, similar to the other oriental fl oral note fl owers, has a unique and pleasant odor, and is gaining high interest in aromatherapy and the spa business (9). These fragrance fl owers are scarce and consist of heat-sensitive aromatic oil that could not be distilled. In this study, we attempted to prepare fragrance materials from jasmine cultivated in Thai- land. Aroma profi les of Jasminum sambac were subjectively verifi ed because it is the major cultivar cultivated in Thailand. In addition to the cultivar effect, the environmental con- dition and agricultural practices, including isolation method, play a major role in the variation of jasmine aroma (10). The quality of the fl ower oil extract was further com- paratively evaluated with those of solvent extraction, and preference test of the prepared fragrance extracts and fresh jasmine was also carried out. MATERIALS AND METHODS PLANT MATERIALS Jasmine ( J. sambac) was harvested from the organic farm located in Nakonpathum prov- ince of central Thailand, in the morning at the beginning of its blossom stage. ENFLEURAGE BASE PREPARATION Spermaceti wax (Namsiang Trading, Thailand) was mixed with rice bran oil (Thai Edible Oil Co., Ltd., Thailand), sunfl ower oil (Thanakorn Vegetable Oil Products Co., Ltd., Thailand), and olive oil (Namsiang Trading, Thailand) at a 3:2 ratio, separately. The warm melt base containing wax and oil was poured into an aluminum tray (8 × 10 in), individually. FLOWER OILS PREPARATION All of the solvents used were of analytical grade unless otherwise stated.