Caraway EO

Latin name :

Carum carvi

Botanical profile :

Caraway is a seed of the Apiaceae family, and of the genus Carum.

Geographic origin :

Originally from Asia, Europe and North Africa (discovered in the Middle East 5000 years ago), caraway is now grown mainly in the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary and Russia in Winter, and in India, Syria, Morocco and Egypt in spring.

Chemotypes :

20 species belong to the genus Carum.
Caraway is the most cultivated plant among all these species and has the greatest economic interest.
Carvi is often confused with black caraway (Carum bulbocastanum) and nigella (Nigella sativa), which both have an olfactory interest but are less cultivated than caraway.
It is well-known that the caraway extraction yield quality is better at high latitudes (farther north) than in a warmer climate. The composition of the essential oil also varies according to the places of culture.

Extraction process :

Each year around the world, 30 to 40 tons of caraway essential oil are produced on average, producing 15,000 tons of seeds each year.
The cultivation of caraway is done at low altitude for annual seeds, and at high altitude for biannual seeds. The fields need to be very sunny, with moderate temperatures.
The propagation of a crop is done by sowing caraway seeds from March to April (in temperate zone) and from October to November (in sub-tropical zone), with a space of a few tens of centimetres between each plant. For each hectare of cultivated land, 8 to 10 kg of seeds are needed. The cultivation is carried out 4 to 15 months after planting the seeds, and allows to cultivate 1 to 3 tons of seeds per hectare cultivated, depending on the type of seed (the yield is better for the biennial caraway).
After the cultivation, the seeds are rinsed and dried until a 10-12% moisture content and stored in bags away from moisture and light. Before the extraction, seeds are crushed to improve the yield of the essential oil. At the end of the process, the extraction is made by hydro distilling the dry seed to obtain the essential oil by decantation. The extraction yield is between 70 and 160 kg of essential oil per hectare of culture, meaning the seeds yield is of 30 to 60 ‰.
An extraction with volatile solvent is possible and provides a warm, aromatic and pleasant smell.
Another distillation allows to bleach the essential oil and to extract the natural D-Carvone.

Major Components :

D-Carvone (46-60%)
D-Limonene (38-52%)
trans and cis-Carveol (0-2%)
trans and cis-Limonene epoxide (0-2,5%)