Aroma profile analysis of the characteristic animalic odor of spikenard Available to Purchase

Spikenard is a valuable material in perfumery because of its animalic odor, but its aroma profile has not yet been clarified. We have developed a method to clarify the aroma profiles of odor materials (sandalwood, frankincense, vetiver, etc.) that are composed of many odor components. Here we investigated the aroma profile of spikenard using our method. The aroma components were extracted by three different methods (hexane extraction, headspace extraction, and hydrodistillation). The odor of the hexane extract was similar to that of the material itself. The hexane extract was separated into two fractions by fractional distillation. The lower boiling fraction had an animalic odor, and the higher boiling fraction had a plant-like odor with the characteristic animalic odor of spikenard. We found that the key component was isovaleric acid from analysis of these fractions by gas chromatography-olfactometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Tsovaleric acid is a chain carboxylic acid and has a strong characteristic animalic odor.