Sichuan Pepper Essential Oil
Sichuan pepper essential oil is the volatile oil recovered by steam distillation from the dried pericarp of Zanthoxylum bungeanum, the red Sichuan pepper of Chinese cooking, and from the green species Zanthoxylum armatum and Zanthoxylum schinifolium. Despite the common name the plant is unrelated to black pepper and to chilli, belonging instead to the citrus family, which is noticeable in the oil.
The material is a pale yellow to greenish yellow mobile liquid with a bright citrus and pine attack over a warm, resinous spice body. Linalool is usually the largest single component, followed by limonene, beta-myrcene, sabinene, terpinen-4-ol, geraniol and beta-phellandrene, and the proportions shift enough between species and growing region to be used as an origin marker.
The numbing tingle that defines the whole spice in ma la cooking is produced by hydroxy-alpha-sanshool and related alkylamides. These compounds are not volatile and are left behind in the still, so the distilled oil supplies aroma alone. It is soluble in ethanol and edible oils, insoluble in water, and oxidises readily once opened.
We source bulk Sichuan Pepper Essential Oil from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Sichuan. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Essential oil
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Clear pale yellow to greenish yellow mobile liquid |
| Odour | Fresh citrus and pine over warm spice, characteristic |
| Relative Density (20°C) | 0.855 to 0.890 |
| Refractive Index (20°C) | 1.466 to 1.482 |
| Optical Rotation (20°C) | -15° to +10° |
| Linalool | 20.0 to 55.0 percent by GC |
| Limonene | 5.0 to 25.0 percent by GC |
| Beta-Myrcene | 1.0 to 12.0 percent by GC |
| Solubility | Soluble in 95 percent ethanol and edible oils, insoluble in water |
| Acid Value | Not more than 2.0 mg KOH/g |
| Moisture | Not more than 0.5 percent |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | Not more than 10 mg/kg |
| Lead | Not more than 2 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | Not more than 1 mg/kg |
Common Markets Grades
Red and green oils are traded as separate products. Red Sichuan pepper oil, from Zanthoxylum bungeanum grown in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu and Chongqing, is the warmer and rounder of the two. Green oil, from the Zanthoxylum armatum and Zanthoxylum schinifolium types associated with the teng jiao trade, is sharper, more lime-like and higher in linalool, and is bought where a fresh top note is the point. Both are specified against a gas chromatography window rather than an assay figure.
Buyers should distinguish three forms sold under overlapping names. The steam-distilled essential oil described here carries aroma only. Carbon dioxide and solvent extracted oleoresins carry the sanshool amides as well and are specified on numbing intensity. Culinary Sichuan pepper oil is a dilute infusion of the spice in refined vegetable oil and is a finished condiment rather than a concentrate. Flavour houses take the essential oil either neat or as a standardised dilution at 1 to 10 percent in propylene glycol or triethyl citrate.
Applications
- Hotpot and ma la soup bases, replacing the aroma driven off during long boiling of whole spice
- Instant noodle and convenience meal seasoning oil sachets, dispersed in the refined oil phase
- Compound seasoning powders for braised, roasted and dry-pot dishes
- Marinades and injection brines for poultry, duck and pork, adding citrus lift against fat
- Prepared chilli oils, dressings and dipping sauces, paired with chilli oleoresin for balance
- Snack and nut seasoning, applied through an oil slurry during tumbling
- Sausage and cured meat production at low dosage
- Savoury flavour compounding, as the natural top note in Sichuan style flavour systems
- Vinegar based cold dressings, added under shear so the oil stays dispersed
Brands Using Sichuan Pepper Essential Oil
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Sichuan Pepper Essential Oil on the ingredient label.
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Sichuan Pepper Essential Oil
Top Sichuan Pepper Essential Oil 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
Sichuan pepper is used in the United States as a culinary spice and its oil is handled as a natural flavouring substance, and the relevant industry position is a FEMA GRAS listing for the flavour material rather than a dedicated food additive regulation. There is no colour or preservative approval involved, and food use levels are self-limiting because of the intensity of the aroma.
In the European Union the oil is used as a natural flavouring preparation under Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008, so no E number applies and the material sits within the general flavourings framework rather than the additive lists. Where the oil goes into fragrance or personal care use, the IFRA standards apply, along with the allergen declaration requirements of the EU Cosmetics Regulation for constituents such as limonene, linalool and geraniol. Codex maintains general provisions and a code of hygienic practice for spices and dried aromatic herbs, which govern the raw pericarp rather than the distilled oil, and commercial quality is normally referenced to an ISO or in-house chromatographic specification.
Manufacturing Process
Pericarp is harvested when the husks have coloured and begun to split, then dried in the sun or in hot air tunnels and screened to remove seed, stalk and leaf. The black seed is separated deliberately, because it contributes fixed oil and bitterness without adding to the aroma. Dried husk is milled coarsely just before the still is charged, so that the oil glands are opened without giving the volatiles time to escape, and is often steeped in water to soften the tissue.
Distillation runs with low pressure steam in stainless steel vessels for four to eight hours. The condensed vapour separates in a Florentine flask, with the oil floating on the distillation water, and the aqueous layer is cohobated back into the still to recover the dissolved oxygenated fraction. Crude oil is dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate, settled, and polish filtered, then profiled by gas chromatography and blended across lots to a fixed specification. Packing is under nitrogen in filled containers. Yield is normally one to four percent on dried husk.
