JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE 372 of G. jasminoides from its use in traditional medicine into perfumery and the fi eld of phytochemistry (4–6). Aroma extracts of the G. jasminoides fl ower were prepared by means of enfl eurage and solvent extraction suitable for fl ower fragrance preparation (7–9). The aroma profi les of each extract were comparatively analyzed and sensory evaluation was conducted by volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS PLANT MATERIALS Gardenia jasminoides fl owers were cultivated at Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand. The fl owers were harvested in the morning at the beginning of its blossoming stage from March to May. ENFLEURAGE BASE PREPARATION Spermaceti wax (Namsiang Trading, Thailand) was mixed with palm oil (Tanakorn Veg- etable Oil Products, Samutprakarn, Thailand). The warm melt base was poured into aluminum trays (4.5 × 17.0 cm). FLOWER OIL PREPARATION All the solvents used were of analytical grade unless otherwise stated. SOLVENT EXTRACTION Petals were macerated in an Erlenmeyer fl ask in 700 ml of absolute ethanol, n-hexane, or petroleum ether (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) for 24 h. The maceration vessels were sealed from light and air at ambient temperature. The mixture was fi ltered and the solvent fraction was concentrated to give a concrete (10). ENFLEURAGE Fresh petals were strewn by hand on the top of the enfl eurage bases in a single layer. The trays were wrapped with aluminum foil and plastic wrap to prevent exposure to light and air. The enfl eurage trays were kept at room temperature for 24 h. The defl eurage fl owers were replaced daily with fresh fl owers each morning for 14 days. The resulting pomade was removed and extracted with denatured alcohol (Merck). The temperature of the ethanolic fragrant solution was kept under 20°C before fi ltration. These processes were repeated until a clear solution was obtained to give an absolute de pomade. The absolute de pomade was further concentrated under reduced pressure at 35°C to yield an absolute de enfl eurage (10). GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY–MASS SPECTROMETRY (GC–MS) The aroma extract (50 mg) was diluted in CH2Cl2 (Fisher Scientifi c, Leicestershire, United Kingdom). An aliquot (5 μl) was injected into a gas chromatograph (GC Agilent 6890N,

VOLATILE PROFILE AND SENSORY PROPERTY OF GARDENIA JASMINOIDES 373 Santa Clara, CA) equipped with an HP-5MS column (Agilent 19091S-433, 30 m × 250 μm, 0.25 μm fi lm thickness) and connected to a mass spectrometer (MS Agilent 5973N). The samples were separated under the following analytical conditions. The oven program started at 80°C, rising to 300°C at a rate of 7°C/min. Helium was used as carrier gas at a fl ow rate of 1.0 ml/min at a pressure of 64 kPa. Injection was performed in splitless mode with the injector temperature set at 220°C. Reference mass spectra were obtained from the MS-Wiley 7n.1 database. The enfl eurage bases and maceration solvents were also injected to determine background cutoffs. Aroma compounds were identifi ed on the basis of the mass spectra showing more than 95% similarity. Content was reported based on the peak area of the identifi ed compounds. PREFERENCE TEST Nonsmoking, healthy Thai male (21) and female (22) volunteers aged more than 16 years without olfactory disorders and fragrance and pollen allergies participated in the prelimi- nary preference test. The absolute de enfl eurage and concretes (50 mg) were prepared in amber bottles with a sniff port diameter of 1 mm. The volunteers were assigned to sniff each sample for 1 min with a 2-min rest period before the next test. This sensory evaluation was conducted in a controlled-environment room without interference factors. The volunteers were denied access to fragrance and scent products for 3 h before the test and during the test. The Likert scale was used for odor intensity (1–5) and preference (1–5) evaluations. The score interval was [(maximum means – minimum means)/5]. The data were analyzed and presented as means ± standard deviation. ODOR QUALITY OF ABSOLUTE DE ENFLEURAGE One hundred and fi fty-two healthy male (76) and female (76) Thai volunteers were clas- sifi ed into four age groups: 16–25, 26–35, 36–45, and 45 years. All of the volunteers refrained from smoking and drinking of liquor, and they did not have respiratory disor- ders such as head colds, asthma, or allergies. The most preferred G. jasminoides aroma extract from 2.5 was diluted in mineral oil (Namsiang) at a concentration of 50 mg/ml. The aroma sample (20 μl) was adsorbed on fi lter paper (Whatman no. 1, Sigma-Aldrich, Singapore) cut into squares (1 × 1 cm) and placed inside the amber bottle with a sniff port as above, and was sensorially evaluated. A Likert scale was used for odor preference (1–5) and difference (1–5) evaluations. The difference was compared with fresh G. jasminoides. The odor quality was statistically analyzed using SPSS V.11.5 (IBM, Thailand) and the signifi cance was set at p 0.05. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Spermaceti wax was selected to prepare the enfl eurage base because of its optimal physical properties and no rancidity that could alter the extracted fl ower scent (11). The wax was mixed with palm oil, which is a versatile product in Thailand with signifi cant applica- tions in cosmetics. The oil and wax ratio were varied to optimize the base for gardenia odor extraction. A high-consistency, odorless, colorless, semihard base that allowed easy removal of the fl ower was obtained (10) with a spermaceti wax to palm oil ratio of 3:2. Thereafter, the enfl eurage base was used for the fragrant oil extraction in addition to the maceration extraction.