● HERBAL EXCIPIENTS

Content

■ Significance of Herbal

■ Colorants

■Sweeteners

Viscosity builders

■ Disintegrants

■Flavourings agents

■ Perfumery agents
Excipients

■ Pharmaceutical excipients can be defined as nonactive ingredients that are mixed with
therapeutically active compound(s) to form
medicines.

■ The ingredient which is not an active compound is regarded as an excipient.

■ Excipients affect the behaviour and effectiveness of the drug product more and more
functionality and significantly.

The variability of active compounds, excipients and process are obvious components for the
product variability

Significance of Natural Excipients

■ These polymers such as natural gums and mucilage are biocompatible, cheap and easily
available and are preferred to semi synthetic and synthetic excipients because of their lack of
toxicity, low cost, availability, soothing action and non irritant nature

Natural Colorants

Highly coloured substances found in plants and animals.

A dye and pigment differ in respect that, dye is actually absorbed by the material when applied to
fibres to give it a permanent colour which is resistant to the action of light, water or soap.
A pigment on other hand is only applied to the surface.

The coloured compounds are known as chromogen and bear chromophore group and/or auxo
chrome capable of absorbing light in the near UV regions and appears as coloured substance.

Natural Colorants

Source

Compound
Color Shade

Anthraquinones

Dactylopius coccus (Cochineal)

Carminic acid
Red

Rubia tinctorum (Madder)

Alizarin
Red

Coccus laccae (Lac)

Laccaic acid
Red

Kermes ilicis (Shiled louse)

Kermisic acid
Scarlet

Naphthoquinones
Lawsonia inermis (Henna)
Lawsone

Orange
Lawsonia alba

Juglans regia (Walnut)

Juglone
Brown

Juglans nigra

Lithospermum erythrorhizon
Shikonin
Violet

(Shikone)

Natural Colorants
Source

Compound
Color Shade

Carotenoids
Capsicum annum (Capsicum)
Capsanthin
Orange-Red

Crocus sativus (Saffron)

Crocin

Yellow-Orange

Tagetes erecta (Marigold)

Lutein
Yellow

Bixa oellana (Annatto)

Bixin

Yellow-Orange

Indol derivatives

Murex brandaries (Mollusk)

Bromoindigotin
Tyrian purple.

Indigo tinctorial (Indigo)

Indigotin
Blue

Oxyindol glycoside

Beta vulgaris (Beet root)

Betanin
Red

Diaryl heptanoids

Curcuma longa (Turmeric)

Curcumin
Yellow

Benzopyrones

Haematoxylon (Logwood)
Haematin
Black

Henna

■Source: dried leaves of Lawsonia inermis (L. alba)

Family: Lythraceae

■GS: North Africa, India, Srilanka

■Constituents: Phenolic glycosides, Coumarins, Xanthene, Flavonoids, Fats, Resin and Henna tannin

■ Coloring matter: Lawesone, which can be extracted from the leaves by NaHCO3.
■Lawsone is 2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone

■ used to dye protein fiber in an orange shade, in conjuction with dihydroxyacetone as a

sunscreen agent
OH

Turmeric

■Source: dried rhizomes of Curcuma longa

■Family: Zingiberaceae

■GS: Subtropical regions.

■Contains a yellow natural pingment, which dissolves in alcohol to form a deep yellow solution.

■ Alkali changes the colour to reddish orange.

■Constituents: 5% curcumins and its derivatives, which are diaryl heptanoid compounds of dark yellow
color. Curcumin, desmethoxy curcumin and bisdesmethoxy curcumin.
Turmeric

Use: principally as a constituents of curry powder.

It imparts dark yellow color to food preparations.

■ A tincture is used for preparation of turmeric paper which is used as a test for boric acid and borates

■Curcumin is used as a yellow coloring matter but the color is fugitive in solution.

R1

HO
O OH

R2
Curcumin: R1=R2=OCH3
OH

Demethoxycurcumin: R1=H; R2=OCH3

Bisdemethoxycurcumin: R1=R2=H
Natural sweeteners

Sweetening agents either evoke sweet taste or enhance the perception of sweet taste. Natural
sweetening agents are preferred over synthetic sweetening agents since they do not have any
adverse impact on health.

■Two types of sweeteners are available: natural sweeteners of plant origin and artificial or synthetic
sweeteners.

■Non-saccharide natural sweetening agents are low calorific, nontoxic and super sweet (100 to 10,000
times sweeter than sugar) in nature and can overcome the problems of sucrose and synthetic
sweeteners.

Natura sweeteners

Natural sweeteners are useful sugar substitutes for diabetic patients.

■The active sweet principles stored in plants can be grouped under: terpenoids, steroidal
saponins, dihydroisocoumarins, dihydrochalcones, proteins, polyols, volatile oils, etc. in nature.

&

■ Nutritive sweeteners: sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, lactitol, mixture of glucosylsorbitol

glucosylmannitol, fructose

■Non-nutritive sweeteners: Aspartame, Saccharin, cyclamate, acesulfane-k and alitame

Plant based natural sweeteners: Stevioside, Glycyrrhizin, Neohesperidin, Thaumatin, Monellins,

Sucralose

Natural Sweeteners
Source

Stevia rebaudiana (Compositae) Leaf

Glycyrrhiza glabara (Leguminosae)

Licorice root

Citrus aurantium (Rutaceae)

Bitter orange

Thaumatococcus danielli (Marantaceae) fruit aril

Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii (Meninsperamaceae) fruit Semi synthetic

Compound

Stevioside & Rebaudioside (160-170 times sweeter than

sucrose)

Glycyrrhizin (50-100 times)

Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone

(330 times)

Thaumatin

(3500 times)

Monellins (2000 times)

Sucralose (600 times)

Stevia

■Source: extracted from a south American plant "Stevia rebaudiana"

Family: Compositae

■GS: Paraguay, Brazil, Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia

■The dried leaves of the plants, the water extract of the leaves and the purified ingredients of the extract
are used as sweetening agents.

■ Stevioside can be isolated from the leaves of Stevia by extraction with water or water-ethyl alcohol mixture and
further purified by treatment with calcium or MgOH or Mg(CO3)2.

Stevia

The ratio of rebaudioside A to stevioside can be increased by extraction with methanol.

■ 2 compounds isolated and purified from Aqueous extract are stevioside and rebaudioside A.

■Both these compounds are diterpene glycoside.

■ Stevioside is 160-170 times sweeter than sucrose.

■Its sweetness is tainted with a bitter and undesirable after taste. But its wide use in Japan for over 20 years did not produce
any known deleterious side effects.

In USA the FDA allowed the use of Stevia as a diet supplement but not as sweetener or an ingredient of food.

Stevia

■Stevioside and rebaudioside A give rise to its principal steviol which has been reported to be
mutagenic.

■ Stevioside, the more important product, is used as table top sweetener, in confectionaries, soft
drinks. and fruit products.

■The sweetness intensity of rebaudioside A is approximately 1/3rd higher than that of stevioside
and its taste characteristics are also superior, but it is unstable and gets decomposed to
light.

Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone
■Source: It's a flavonoid compound present in bitter orange Citrus aurantium variety amara

■Family: Rutaceae

■ Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone is obtained by of neohesperidin under alkaline

hydration
conditions.
■It is also produced from flavonoid naringin present in peels of several other Citrus spp.

■ Though neohesperidin dihydrochalcone is prone to hydrolytic cleavage of glycosidic bond, its

stability is acceptable under food processing and storage conditions.

Its about 330 times sweeter than sucrose.

Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone

Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone is characterized by pronounced methanol like after taste which

limits its use ad allows it to make only a partial contribution in food and pharmaceutical industry.

It acts as synergistically with number of other sweeteners e.g. acesulfame and aspartame can be used
in very small quantities in blends with these sweeteners.

■It is used in confectionery products, chewing gum, in beverages and dairy products.

In

addition to sweetness,
neohesperidin dihydrochalcone has flavour enhancing properties in a variety of foods and other
products.

Natural Binding agents

Binders are agents employed to impart cohesiveness to the granules. This ensures the tablet
remains intact after compression.

Binders are added to tablet formulation to impart plasticity and thus increase the interparticulate
bonding strength within the tablet.

■To hold various powders together to form a tablet is a binder, fillers usually do not have
good binding capacity, binder is either added in dry mix or mix in granulating liquid, binder form
matrix with fillers and drug embedded in it, on drying solid binder forms glue which
holds the particles together, the wet binder is the most important ingredient in the wet
granulation process, most binders are hydrophilic & most times soluble in water.
Advantage: Natural binders

low toxicity, biodegradable, availability and low cost

■ can also modify the release of drug, thereby, influencing the absorption. and
subsequent bioavailability of the incorporated drug

■ Increase stability, precision and accuracy of dosage form

■ improve the organoleptic properties of the drugs where necessary in order to enhance patient
adherence

Disadvantage: Natural binders

■ Over time they occasionally lead to tablet hardening and a decrease in dissolution performance.

When polymer binders are chosen, the addition of strong disintegtants such as super disintegrants
is typically required but these are considerably expensive and have a negative effect on
product stability as well as film coating appearance of the finished products

■E.g. Plant starch, pregelatinized starch, gelatin, Plant Gums: acacia, tragacanth

Acacia

■Source: dried gummy exudation from the stems and branches of Acacia arabica, A. senegal etc,

■Family: Leguminosae

■ English: Indian Gum, Hindi: Babul

■ Description: White or yellowish- white thin flakes, spheroidal spheres (up to 32 mm in diameter),
powder, granules, or spray-dried powder. Odourless and bland taste

■ Solubility: 1 in 20 of Glycerin, 1 in 20 of PEG, 1 in 2.7 of water, practically insoluble in alcohol

■Constituents: (-) arabinose, (+-) galactose, (-- rhamnose), (+ - glyceronic acid)

Acacia
■ Chemical test:

■ Powder + Lead sub acetate gelatinises the aqueous solution

■ Powder + ruthenium redno pink colour

Powder in Water + H2O2 + benzidine in alcohol →→ blue colour (oxidase enzyme)

■ Incompatibilities: with Ferric salts amidopyline, apomorphine, borax, basic lead acetate,
AlCl3, cresol, ethanol, morphine, phenol, tannin, thymol, gelatine, vanillin

■ Method of sterilization: Autoclaving

■ Uses: tablet binder (1-5%), suspending agent (5- 10%), emulsifying agent (10-20%), mucilage,
thickener

■Storage: air tight container in a cool, dry place.

Gelatine

Syn: Gelfoam, Puragel, Gelatina

■Source: A protein obtained by partial hydrolysis of animal collagenous tissues like bone, skin,
tendon and ligaments.

■ Description: faintly yellow amber coloured solid with characteristic odour. Its available in the form of
flakes, sheets, shreds, powder or granules.

Properties: Gelling strength:150-200

■ Solubility: practically insoluble in water, most of organic solvents, fixed oil and volatile oils
■Soluble in hot water, glycerol, acetic acid

In 5-10 times water, forms gel below 35-40 degree C

Gelatine

■ onstituents: Glycine (25-27%), Alanine, Glutamic acid, Proline, Arginine, Aspartic acid and
Hydroxy proline, Isoleucine, Leucine, phenyl alanine, tryptophan

■ Chemical Test:

■ Powder, when heated with soda lime, evolves ammonia

gas

■ Powder with picric and tannic acid, precipitation

■ Powder + HgNO3
white ppt, on heating turn to
red-brick red colour (Millon's reagent)

■Incompatibilities: Tannins and Formaldehyde

■ Method of sterilization: Dry heat Sterilization

Gelatine

■ Use: preparing suppositories, pastilles, pessaries, pastes.

■ Absorbable gelatine sponge: Haemostatic

■ Emulsifying agent, vehicle for injection

■ Manufacture of hard and soft gelatine capsule

■Tablet binder

■Stabilizer, thickener,

■2% mascara preparation

■Storage: tight container in dry place
Natural diluents

■Diluents are often added to tablet formulations for secondary reasons like to provide better tablet properties such as:

i) To provide improved cohesion

ii) To allow direct compression manufacturing

iii) To enhance flow

iv)To adjust weight of tablet as per die capacity

■should neither support microbiological growth in the dosage form nor contribute to any
microbiological load

■ should neither adversely affect the dissolution of the product nor interfere with the bioavailability of
active pharmaceutical ingredient

■should preferably be colourless or nearly so.

Natural diluents

■ should not react with the drug substance and moreover it should not have any effect on the
functions of other excipients

■ should not have any physiological or pharmacological activity of its own

■ should have consistent physical and chemical characteristics

should neither promote nor contribute to segregation of the granulation or powder blend to which
they are added

■should be able to be milled (size reduced) if necessary in order to match the particle size distribution of
the active pharmaceutical ingredient

Lactose
Source: a natural disaccharide consisting of galactose and glucose and obtained from milk of most
of mammals.

■Syn: Milk sugar, Lactin

■ Description: white crystalline powder with odourless. and faintly sweet taste. It is stable in air but
readily absorbs odours.

■ Several varieties of lactose are available: anhydrous alpha, alpha monohydrate and anhydrous beta

■ Hygroscopicity: absorbs insignificant amount of moisture at 25 degree at relative humidity up to

about 90%

Lactose

■Solubility: freely soluble in water while practically insoluble in CHCl3, ethanol and ether

■Constituents:

O-beta-D-galactopransosyl-(1-4)-
alpha-D-glucopyranose
■Chemical test:

0.25 g lactose + 5 ml water + 5 ml of 10M NH3 → heat in water bath at 80 degree for
10 minutes, →red colour develops

■5 ml hot saturated solution of lactose + 5 ml NaOH

→ warm → yellow liquid, finally brownish red on adding several drops of cupric sulphate, a red
ppt of Cu(OH)2.
Lactose

Incompatibilities: primary amine group

Method of sterilization: dried at 105 degree then sterilized by dry heat.

■ Use: diluent in tablets, capsules, dry powder inhalations

■ Used in combination with sucrose to prepare sugar coating solutions (Appro. 1:3)

Direct compression grades of lactose combined with MCC or starch and usually requires tablet
lubricant 0.5% w/w magnesium stearate.

■ Storage: well closed container in a cool dry place

Mannitol

■Source: saccharine exudation from the stem of Fraxinus ornus, family: Oleaceae

A hydrolytic alcohol obtained by isolation from Manna seeds.

■It can be also be obtained chemically by reduction of

mannose.

are orthorhombic prisms. The melting point is 166168 degree C. It is freely soluble in water
■ Description: white, crystalline, odourless, non hygroscopic and sweet powder. The crystals

and insoluble in alcohol. Its specific gravity is 1.52 and optically inactive or slightly
levo rotatory.

Mannitol

Uses: Sweetening agent & 10-19% w/w as a diluent

Doesn't get absorbed by GIT. It is not metabolized and is eliminated by glomerular filtration.

■Can be used as diagnostic aid

■Method of sterilization: well closed well filled

container

Viscosity builders
■These are substances, which added to mixture, to increase its viscosity without substantially modifying
its other properties, such as taste.

■They increase stability.

■ It is desirable to increase the viscosity of dosage form to provide or to improve palatability or

pourability

Viscosity builders:
Advantages:

High viscosity inhibits the crystal growth.

High viscosity enhances the physical stability

High viscosity prevents the transformation of metastable crystal to stable crystal

Disadvantages:

■ High viscosity hinders the re-dispersibility of the sediments.

■ High viscosity retards the absorption of the drug.

■ High viscosity creates problems in handling of the material during manufacturing.

Viscosity builders:
Ideal characteristics:

• Should produce a structured vehicle

Should have high viscosity at negligible shear during storage and low viscosity at high shearing
rates during pouring
• Should exhibit yield stress.

Should be compatible with other excipients

Should be nontoxic

■ Viscosity should not be altered by temperature or on

aging

Carrageenan

■Syn: chondrus extract, Iris moss extract

■ Source: sulphated polysaccharide extract of the sea weed called Carrageenan; or irish mosss, the red-
algae obtained from Chondrus crispus belonging to family, Rhodophyllaceae

■GS: North Atlantic coast of Europe, North America

■France, Spain, Denmark, USA, major producers of carrageenan in the world market

■Description: water soluble colloid, dried for the free flowing powder, stable at pH 9.0

■Two forms of drugs are available, extracted with cold water gives viscous solution in water

Extracted with hot water forms gel on cooling

Carrageenan
■ Constituents: depending upon the position of sulphate and presence or absence of
anhydrogalactose, two types of carrageenan are know, kappa and lambda.

Kappa carrageenan:

■ Ability to form thermos reversible gel, soluble in polar solvents, in hot milk and hot conc.
Sugar solution above 60 degree C

■ Sodium salt of this form is soluble in cold water while calcium and potassium salts are insoluble in cold
water
k-carrageenan contains D-galactose, 3,6 anhydrous- D-galactose and ester sulphate group

Carrageenan
■ Kappa carrageenan is good gelling agent, while lambda carrageenan is non gelling and
is good thickener.

■Lambda carrageenan contains D-galactose and its mono and bisulphate esters.

20- 40% sulphite on dry weight basis.

■ Carrageenan differ from agar which contains sulphated esters but carrageenan also contains

■ Uses: emulsifying, stabilizing, gelling agent and viscosity builder

■ Tooth

paste, creams, lotions, manufacturing

■ Food industry, 0.5-1% concentration
cosmetic

Carrageenan
■ Incompatibility: ca react with cationic materials

■Method of sterilization: dry heat sterilization, maintaining at 150 degree C for 1 hour.

Xanthan Gum

■Source: a polysaccharide produced by certain species of bacteria. It is produced by pure

fermentation of glucose using the bacterium named as Xanthomonas compestris, which is non toxic
and non pathogenic to human beings.

The high molecular weight polysaccharide produced in culture broth is isolated by using
isopropyl alcohol, which is dried and milled to give commercial xanthan gum.

Description: cream coloured powder, odourless, soluble in cold and hot water giving highly
viscous solution, this is stable towards change in pH and also to heat.

The aqueous solution of xanthan gum forms films on evaporation. Aq. Solutions are
pseudoplastic.

Xanthan Gum

■ Chemical nature: D-glucose, D-mannose and D- glucuronic acid with short side chains.

■ Additionally pyruvic acid is present as side chain to the extent of 2.5-4.8 % of molecule.

Xanthan gum is available in the market as its sodium or potassium salts.

■Sterilization: by autoclaving

■ Uses: very good emulsifying agent, stabilizer, thickener, viscosity enhancer, food and cosmetic
industry

■ Storage: well closed container in a cool, dry place

Natural disintegrants
■ Disintegrants are agents added to tablet (and some encapsulated) formulations to promote the
breakup of the tablet (and capsule "slugs') into smaller fragments in an aqueous environment
thereby increasing the available surface area and promoting a more rapid release of the drug
substance.

■ There are three major mechanisms and factors affecting tablet disintegration as follows:

■ Swelling

■ Porosity and capillary action

■ deformation

Natural disintegrants
Advantages:

■ Effective in lower concentrations than starch

■Less effect on compressibility and flow ability

■ More effective intragranular

Disadvantages:

■More hygroscopic (may be a problem with moisture sensitive drugs)

Some are anionic and may cause some slight in-vitro binding with cationic drugs (not a problem in-vivo.)

Herbal disintegrants

Ideal characteristics

■The ability to interact strongly with water is essential to disintegrant function.

■Combinations of swelling and/or wicking and/or deformation are the mechanisms of disintegrant
action.

■ Super disintegrants offer significant improvements over starch.

■ But hygroscopicity may be a problem in some formulations.

Guar Gum

■Syn: Guar galactomannan

■Source: ground endosperms of seeds of Cyamopsis tetragonolobus, family: Leguminosae

■ Description: white to pale yellowish white free flowing powder, characteristic odour
Solubility: Slightly soluble in water and not in organic solvents, dispersible in hot and cold water and
form colloidal solution, practically insoluble in oils, grease, hydrocarbons, ketones, esters and
95% ethanol.

■Constituents:

85% Guaran (water soluble polysaccharide)hydrolysis, galactose, mannose

■ Chemical test:

Gum + 2% lead acetate → ppts

Guar Gum

Method of sterilization: autoclaving

■ Use: tablet binder (up to 10%), disintegrating agent, suspension, emulsion (up to 1%), lotions,
creams (up to 2.5%), food and cosmetic industry as stabilizer

■ Oral hypoglycemic agent

■Storage: well closed container in cool dry place. Methyl paraben (0.75%) or propyl paraben
(0.02%) can be used as preservatives.
Starch

■ Syn: Amylum

■ Polysaccharide granules obtained from the grains of

■ Maize (Zea mays)

■Rice (Oryza sativa)

■ Wheat (Triticum aestivum), Gramineae

■ Potato (Solanum tuberosum), Solanaceae

Description: very fine powder, white or slightly yellowish powder or irregular, angular white masses
readily reducible to powder, which cracks when pressed between the fingers. Odourless,
Tasteless

■ Microbial limitation: 1.0 g is fee from E.coli and Salmonella

Starch

■ Solubility: practically insoluble in cold water and cold ethanol. At 37 degree C, starch swells
in water by about 5-10%.

■ Constituents: water soluble Amylose & water insoluble Amylopectin which swells and responsible for
gelatinizing property of starch

■Method of sterilization: auto claving

■ Uses: 5-25% w/w as binder, 3-15 % as disintegrants, diluent for potent drugs to facilitate
subsequent mixing process

■Storage: an air light resistant container in a cool, dry place

Perfumery agents

Perfume compositions usually include an active ingredient or enhancer and one or more
adjuvants such as extenders, antioxidants, fixatives, etc.

■ An active ingredient is a compound which imparts the aroma to the perfume compositions or
enhances or augments the aroma of an existing perfume composition.

■Fixatives and extenders are not considered to be active ingredients; an fixative slow down the rate of evaporation of a
perfume by reducing the volatility, and an extender increases the volume of the perfume composition without
diluting the aroma.

Perfumery agents

Musk
■Sandal wood oil

Rose oil

Jasmine oil

Benzoin

■Turpentine oil

■Lavender oil

Sandal wood oil

■Syn: Chandan

■ Source: volatile oil obtained by steam distillation of heartwood of Santalum album, Santalaceae

■ Description: nearly colourless golden yellow liquid, pleasant sweet woody persistent odour. It
is somewhat oily, viscous liquid which is heavy in weight and affected by light

■ Solubility: soluble in 5 volumes of 70% alcohol

■ Constituents: Sesquiterpene alcohol, Alpha and beta santalol

■ Method of sterilization: bacteriological filtration

Sandal wood oil

■ Uses: perfumery industry for lavender perfume for hair oil, face cream. Manufacture of dhoop,
agarbatti
etc.

■ Disinfectant for genito-urinary tract

■ Cosmetic preparation

■Storage: tight and light resistant container

Rose oil

Syn: Otto of rose

■ Source: volatile oil distilled from fresh flowers of Rosa gallica and other Rosa species, Rosaceae

Description: colourless or yellow liquid with characteristic odour of rose, at 25 degree C its
viscous liquid, upon gradual cooling it changes to translucent, crystalline mass which maybe
easily liquefied by warming

Solubility: 1 ml rose oil miscible in 1 ml CHCl3

■ Constituents: solid-linalool, Liquid-nerol, citronellol and geraniol

Rose oil

to moistened litmus paper and standing at 20 degree C. It deposits a crystalline residue

■ hemical test: 1 ml rose oil + 1 ml CHCl3, add 20 ml 90% alcohol, the resulting liquid is neutral or acid

within 5 minutes.

■ Uses: flavouring agent in Perfumes

Storage: well filled containers in cool place

Flavouring agents

Flavouring agents are key food additives with hundreds of varieties like fruit, nut, seafood,
spice. blends, vegetables and wine which are natural flavouring agents.

Flavouring agents include flavour substances, flavour extracts or flavour preparations, which are
capable of imparting flavouring properties, namely taste or odour or both to food. Flavouring agents
may be of following three types:

Natural Flavours and Natural Flavouring substances means flavour preparations and single substance
respectively, acceptable for human consumption, obtained exclusively by physical processes
from vegetables, for human consumption

Flavouring agents

Nature-Identical Flavouring Substances means substances chemically isolated from aromatic raw
materials or obtained synthetically; they are chemically identical to substances present in natural
products intended for human consumption, either processed or not.

Artificial Flavouring
Substances means those
substances which have not been identified in natural

products intended for human consumption either processed or not.

Flavouring agents

■Black pepper: Piperine

= Cardamom: borneol

■Fennel: Fenchone, Anethole

Ginger: Shagols

■ Peppermint: Menthol

■Nutmeg: Myristicin, Elemicin, Saffrole

■Saffron: Crocin

Cardamom oil

Syn: Ilayachi tel

Source: volatile oil distilled from the seeds of Elettaria cardamomum, Zingiberaceae
■ Description: colourless or pale yellow liquid with a pleasant aromatic odour

■Solubility: 1 ml of cardamom oil dissolves in 5 ml of 70% alcohol at 20 degree C

■Constituents: Cineol, alpha terpinyl acetate, terpeneol, borneol, sabinene etc

Uses: aromatic, carminative, flavouring agent

stimulant and

Cardamom oil

■ Cardamom oil finds application in flavouring processed foods.

■It is even used in liquid products like cordials, bitters and liquors and occasionally in
perfumery

■Method of sterilization: bacteriological filtration

■Storage: very tight, light resistant container and not exceeding 25 degree C

Orange oil

Syn: Aurantii

Source: volatile oil obtained by expression from the fresh peels of the ripe fruits of Citrus
limonis, Rutaceae

Description: an intense yellow orange or deep orange liquid, characteristic odour

Solubility: miscible with dehydrated alcohol and with carbon disulphide. One volume of orange
oil dissolves in 1 volume of glacial acetic acid

■Constituents: 90% Limonene, citral, citronellal

■ Chemical test: solution of recently expressed orange oil in dehydrated alcohol is neutral to
moistened litmus paper.

Orange oil
■ Method of sterilization: bacteriological filtration

Storage: well filled, well closed containers in cool place away from sun light.

■Note: don't use orange oil that has terebinthinate (Like turpentine) odour