Obtained by steam distillation of the berry. It has a warm, spicy odor and a hot, burning, peppery taste. Allspice oil is
affected by light.
Pimento oils (allspice oil) are derived from pimento fruits and leaves. Pimento
berry oil is obtained by steam distillation of the dried, fully grown, unripe, berrylike
fruits of the pimento shrub, Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. (Myrtaceae), growing
in the islands of the West Indies and Central America. The main producer of the
oils is Jamaica. Pimento berry oil is a pale yellow to brown liquid with a spicy odor,
reminiscent of eugenol.
d2020 1.027–1.048; n20D 1.5250–1.5400; α20D ?5 ° to 0 °; solubility: 1 vol in 2 vol of
70% ethanol at 20 °C; phenol content: min. 65%.
Themajor components of pimento oils are eugenol (up to 75%), 1,8-cineole, and
caryophyllene. Distillation of the leaves gives an oil that has an even
higher content of eugenol (80–90%). Annual production of leaf oil exceeds that of the berry oil.
Pimento oils, similar to the spice, are used mainly in the food industry, as well
as in perfume compositions for creating spicy, clove-like notes.
The oil is a colorless, yellow or reddish-yellow liquid, which becomes darker with age.
Found in a variety or strain of the parent plant, Pelargonium graveolens, Ait. (Fam. Geraniaceae).
By steam distillation of the fresh plants, harvested at the period of initial bloom.
Extractives and their physically modified derivatives. Pimenta dioica, Myrtaceae.
Pimenta Oil is obtained from the semi-ripe fruit of the evergreen shrub Pimenta officinalis of the Myrtaceae family, which is dried, crushed and then steam distilled, with a yield of 3.3% to 4.3%.
Essential oil composition
Main constituents of the oil include eugenol, l-α-phellandrene, caryophyllene, methyl eugenol and cineol.
The dried product of the immature berries of the evergreen tree of Myrtaceae (Pimentadioica, formerly known as P. Offinalis). Almost round, about 6.5mm in diameter, about the size of a pea, reddish-brown. It has a mild aroma of a mixture of Ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, but the clove is more prominent. Native to the West Indies and Latin America, with the best quality from Jamaica.
Moderately toxic by
ingestion and skin contact. A severe skin
and eye irritant. Mutation data reported. A
weak sensitizer that may cause dermatitis on
local contact. Eugenol is moderately toxic.
Combustible. See also EUGENOL.
