Essential Oil Of Rattan Pepper
Essential oil of rattan pepper is the volatile oil obtained from the fresh green pericarp of Zanthoxylum armatum, the species known in Chinese cooking as teng jiao or rattan pepper and in English as green Sichuan pepper. It is dominated by linalool, commonly forty to sixty percent of the oil, with limonene, sabinene, beta-myrcene, beta-ocimene and linalyl acetate making up most of the balance, giving a fresh, citrus-floral, resinous aroma quite unlike black or white pepper.
An important distinction runs through this product. The tingling, numbing sensation associated with Sichuan pepper comes from hydroxy-alpha-sanshool and related unsaturated fatty acid amides, which are not volatile and do not carry over into a distilled essential oil. The steam distilled oil therefore delivers aroma without the numbing effect, while the pressed and infused rattan pepper oils sold in Chinese retail carry the amides in a rapeseed or blended vegetable oil base and are a different product class.
The distilled oil is a colourless to pale yellow mobile liquid, practically insoluble in water and miscible with ethanol and vegetable oils. It is rich in monoterpenes that oxidise on exposure to air and light, dulling the fresh top note, so it is held cold in filled containers under nitrogen, and suppliers offer it as an emulsion or encapsulate where an aqueous system needs it.
We source bulk Essential Oil Of Rattan Pepper from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Shandong. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Essential oil
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Clear colourless to pale yellow mobile liquid |
| Odour and Flavour | Fresh citrus-floral, characteristic of green Sichuan pepper |
| Botanical Source | Zanthoxylum armatum green pericarp |
| Linalool Content | 40.0% to 60.0% by gas chromatography |
| Limonene Content | 8.0% to 25.0% by gas chromatography |
| Specific Gravity (20 degrees Celsius) | 0.855 to 0.885 |
| Refractive Index (20 degrees Celsius) | 1.462 to 1.478 |
| Optical Rotation (20 degrees Celsius) | Minus 5 to plus 10 degrees |
| Solubility in 80% Ethanol | Soluble in 3 volumes, clear solution |
| Acid Value | ≤ 2.0 mg KOH/g |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 10 mg/kg |
| Lead | ≤ 2 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | ≤ 1 mg/kg |
| Pesticide Residues | Complies with destination market limits |
Common Markets Grades
The main grade split is between the true steam distilled essential oil and the infused or extracted seasoning oil that shares the same Chinese name. Buyers state which is wanted, because the distilled oil is an aroma concentrate specified on linalool content while the seasoning oil is a vegetable oil carrying both aroma and the numbing amides, specified on sanshool content and on the base oil used.
Within the distilled oil, grades differ by whether fresh or dried pericarp was used, fresh material giving a greener and more floral profile, and by whether the oil has been rectified under vacuum to remove colour and heavy residues. Origin within Sichuan and neighbouring provinces is quoted, and buyers commonly specify a linalool range. Rattan pepper oleoresin, which carries the non-volatile amides alongside the volatiles, is a further separate article.
Applications
- Sichuan style seasoning oils and sauces, supplying the fresh floral aroma of green Sichuan pepper in concentrated form
- Hot pot and dipping sauce bases, where the aroma is built into the oil phase of the formulation
- Instant noodle and convenience meal seasoning sachets, standardising a note that varies widely in ground spice form
- Meat marinades and braising liquors for poultry, rabbit and freshwater fish
- Cold dressed dishes and salad dressings in Sichuan cooking
- Savoury snack seasoning, applied on a topical carrier to crisps and extruded snacks
- Compound seasoning powders, where the oil is plated onto salt or maltodextrin
- Prepared condiment pastes and chilli oils, contributing the citrus-floral top note above the chilli
- Fragrance and personal care, where linalool-rich citrus-floral oils are used in fresh accords
China Manufacturers of Essential Oil Of Rattan Pepper
Top Essential Oil Of Rattan Pepper manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States Zanthoxylum species are used as spice and as flavouring, and oils and extractives of the botanical are handled under the general framework for essential oils, oleoresins and natural extractives used as flavouring, with FEMA GRAS determinations covering flavouring substances derived from the genus. Material intended for the United States market is documented against the specific species, since the genus contains several species traded under similar common names.
In the European Union the distilled oil is a natural flavouring preparation under Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 on flavourings, which frames its use and sets maximum levels for certain biologically active principles occurring naturally in botanical flavourings. No E number applies. Species identity and the plant part used are the practical documentation issues for this material, because the common names rattan pepper, Sichuan pepper and prickly ash are applied to more than one Zanthoxylum species. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives has evaluated linalool and related terpene alcohol flavouring agents and publishes specifications for them.
Manufacturing Process
The pericarp is harvested green, in the short window when the fruit is fully sized but still unripe, because oil content and the fresh floral profile both fall once the fruit begins to redden. Harvested material is cleaned of leaf, stalk and seed, since the seed contributes fatty oil and a bitter note, and is either distilled fresh on the same day or lightly dried for storage.
Extraction is by steam distillation of the chopped pericarp over a few hours, with the vapour condensed and the oil separated from the distillation water in a Florentine flask. The aqueous phase is returned to the still to recover dissolved linalool and other oxygenated compounds. Crude oil is decanted, dried over a desiccant and filtered, then rectified under vacuum where a light coloured, low-residue grade is wanted. Some producers run a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction instead, which recovers the volatile fraction together with the sanshool amides and gives an extract rather than a distilled oil. Finished oil is profiled by gas chromatography, blended to a standard linalool specification and filled under nitrogen.
