Sambac Jasmine Absolute

Latin name :

Jasminum sambac (L.) Aiton

Botanical profile :

Jasminum, whether it be sambac, grandiflorum, or auriculatum, is a white-flowered shrub that can grow from 1 to 3 meters in height and form hedges in fields of cultivation. It belongs to the family Oleaceae and the genus Jasmimum.

Geographic origin :

Jasminum sambac (L.) Aiton is mainly cultivated in India, which accounts for nearly 90% of the worldwide production volume. The states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are the main production centers, with Madurai being the ''jasmine capital '' and the only region in the world with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for jasmine sambac. Other countries such as Egypt or France also contribute to the world production of this species. It should be noted that jasmine sambac from China is increasingly available on the market, although its use is still largely restricted to traditional medicine or tea flavoring.

Chemotypes :

In perfumery, two varieties of jasmine are mainly used:
Jasminum grandiflorum L. (Jasmine Grandiflorum Absolute / Jasmine Grandiflorum Concrete) found for example in Grasse or Egypt.
Jasminum sambac (L.) Aiton (Jasmine Sambac Absolute / Jasmine Sambac Concrete) mostly cultivated in India.
These two varieties are easily recognizable as grandiflorum has large and rounded flowers while those of sambac are thinner and longer.

Two other species are also grown for perfumery, in smaller proportions:
Jasminum asteroides
Jasminum auriculatum Vahl (Jasmine Auriculatum Absolute / Jasmine Auriculatum Concrete) mainly cultivated in India.

Extraction process :

The jasmine sambac flower, also known as ''White gold '' in India, is usually harvested from March to September. These flowers are handpicked at sunrise and must be processed within the day because once separated from the shrub, they can only survive for a few hours. The flower buds are then transported to the factory, and a resting phase of approximately 1 to 2 hours allows for the aeration and opening of the buds. At this moment, the jasmine flowers can be processed.
Formerly extracted using the enfleurage technique, the flower is now mainly processed with volatile solvents. This extraction is carried out using hexane. The flowers macerate in the solvent for 10 to 12 hours until exhausted. They are then removed from the extractor, and the solvent is evaporated. This produces a waxy, greenish-orange paste, the Jasmine Sambac Concrete (yielding 0.1 to 0.2% from fresh flowers).
In most cases, the extraction does not stop there and goes on to obtain the Jasmin Sambac Absolute through a succession of steps: alcohol glazing, wax filtration, and alcohol evaporation. The yield of such a product is then less than 0.1% from fresh flowers.
At this stage, molecular distillation may practiced to match regulatory or olfactory requirement. The result is a Jasmin Sambac Absolute DM.
As is the case with many flowers, the harvesting period has a significant influence on the scent. For Jasmin Sambac, it is known that jasmine flowers harvested in spring (March-May) are much greener and more vibrant because of an higher farnesene content , while those harvested in autumn (September-October) are more animalic and dense because of indole content.

Major Components :

Farnesene (20-25%)
Benzyl Acetate (15-20%)
Methyl Linoleate (≈13%)
Linalool (≈15%)
Methyl Anthranilate (≈8%)
cis-3-Hexenyl Benzoate (≈8%)
Benzyl Alcohol (≈7%)
Germacrene-D (≈4%)
cis-3-Hexenyl Acetate (≈2%)
Phenylacetonitrile (≈2%)
Indole (≈2%)