Ginger oil

Chemical properties

Ginger oil and ginger oleoresin are produced from the ginger plant Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae).
Ginger oil is produced by steamdistillation of dried, ground rhizomes. It is a light yellow to yellow liquid with the aromatic, persistent odor of ginger, but lacking the pungency usually associated with ginger.The citrus note of ginger oil is produced by citral.
d²⁵₂₅ 0.871–0.882; n²⁰_D 1.4880–1.4940; α²⁰_D ?45 ° to ?28 °; saponification number: max. 20; soluble in ethanol, solutions are usually turbid.
The major components of the oil are β-sesquiphellandrene and zingiberene.

Chemical properties

Obtained by steam distillation of dried, ground rhizomes The yield is approximately 0 25 to 1.2% The oil has a warm, spicy, aromatic odor; the oil tends to thicken and darken on exposure to air The oil lacks the pungency of the other derivatives.

Physical properties

Ginger oil is a light-yellow to yellow liquid It is soluble in most fxed oils and in mineral oil It is soluble, usually with turbidity, in alcohol, but it is insoluble in glycerin and propylene glycol.

Occurrence

Found in the plant Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Fam. Zingiberaceae) (Guenther, 1952).

The Uses of Ginger oil

Flavor in foods and beverages.

Preparation

By steam distillation of the dried ground rhizomes (Fenarolis' Handbook of Flavor Ingredients, 1971).

Definition

Extractives and their physically modified derivatives. Zingiber officinale, Zingiberaceae.

Essential oil composition

Main constituents include sesquiterpenes, farnesene, methylheptenone, cineol, borneol, geraniol and linalool.

General Description

Ginger oil generally contains sesquiterpene hydrocarbons such as zingiberene, ar-curcumene, β-bisabolene and β-sesquiphellandrene and monoterpenes such as geranial, neral and camphene.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Taste at 30 ppm

Safety Profile

Moderately toxic by ingestion and intraperitoneal routes. A skin irritant. Mutation data reported. When heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes.