Black Pepper, RECTIFIED

Produced by steam distillation from the fruits of Piper nigrum and then rectified by fractional distillation to reduce the terpene content and colouring especially for use in fragrances. Using the rectified oil avoids solubility problems in ethanol that are common with the crude oil.

According to Arctander “Oil of Black Pepper is an almost water-white or pale greenish-gray, mobile liquid which becomes more viscous on ageing. Its odor is fresh, dry-woody, warm-spicy, reminiscent not only of tho odor of dried black pepper, but also of elemi, cubeb and other essential oils of high terpene- sesquiterpene content. The flavor of the oil is surprisingly flat, somewhat dry-woody. At high concentration, the taste is slightly bitter. When more dilute, it presents only a mild spiciness. The essential oil has no pungency at all since the pungent principles of black pepper are not distillable with steam” 

He goes on to suggest that: “In perfumery, the oil gives interesting effects with eugenol and isoeugenol, e.g. in carnation and rose bases, in Oriental fragrances, or in, modern, dry-aldehydic bases, ambres, etc. The effect in a rose base is particularly interesting.  Although Phellandrene is one of the main constituents of the oil, it seems impossible to obtain a similar effect with pure phellandrene (isolated from other essential oils) or with substitutes for black pepper oil.”