Chemical Properties
Cassia oil (Chinese cinnamon oil) is obtained by steam distillation of the
leaves, twigs, and bark of Cinnamomum aromaticum Nees (Cinnamomum
cassia Blume, Lauraceae) mainly growing in China. It is a reddish-brown liquid
with a sweet–spicy, cinnamon-like odor.
d2020 1.052–1.070; n20D 1.6000–1.6140; solubility: 1 vol in 3 vol of 70%
ethanol at 20 ℃; acid number: max. 15; content of carbonyl compounds
(calculated as cinnamaldehyde): min. 80%.
In contrast to cinnamon bark oil, cassia oil contains a considerable amount
of 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde (3–15%) in addition to its main constituent,
cinnamaldehyde (70–88%). Cassia oil is used predominantly in
flavoring soft drinks (cola-type). Annually ≥600 t are produced in China,
smaller quantities in Vietnam.
Chemical Properties
See cinnamic aldehyde, its chief con-
stituent.
Chemical Properties
The volatile oil obtained by steam distillation from the dried inner bark of the shoots of coppiced, cultivated bushes of
C. zeylanicus Nees. It has an odor of cinnamon and a spicy burning taste.
Physical properties
It is a yellow liquid and soluble in most fixed oils and propylene glycol. It is insoluble in glycerin
and in mineral oil.
Occurrence
Found in the bark of the shrub Cinnamomum zeylanicum Nees (Fam: Laura-ceae).
Definition
Extractives and their physically modified derivatives. Cinnamomum cassia, Lauraceae.
Preparation
By steam distillation of the dried inner bark of the shrub C. zeylanicum Nees (Guenther. 1950).
Essential oil composition
The chief constituent of cinnamon bark oil is cinnamic aldehyde
Composition
Cinnamaldehyde and eugenol have been reported to be the main constituents in the oil and extract of C. zeylanicum, while others have also reported eugenyl acetate. However, the composition of cinnamon oil, and hence its potential use, depends very much on the species that is distilled as well as the part of the plant which is utilized. Cinnamon bark oil contains cinnamaldehyde as the major constituent, while cinnamon leaf oil’s major constituent is eugenol rather than cinnamaldehyde. Cinnamon has been found to be effective in inhibiting the mycotoxigenic Aspergillus species Aspergillus parasiticus.
Biochem/physiol Actions
Taste at 10 ppm
Metabolism
Cinnamic aldehyde, the chief constituent of cinnamon bark oil, is oxidized to cinnamic acid, which is then degraded to benzoic acid (Williams, 1959). Additional published data
