Abstract
Sandalwood oils are highly desired but expensive, and hence many counterfeit oils are sold in high street shops. The study aimed to determine the content of oils sold under the name sandalwood oil and then compare their chromatographic profile and α- and β santalol content with the requirements of ISO 3518:2002. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis found that none of the six tested “sandalwood” oils met the ISO standard, especially in terms of α-santalol content. Only one sample was found to contain both α- and β-santalol, characteristic of Santalum album. In three samples, valerianol, elemol, eudesmol isomers, and caryophyllene dominated, indicating the presence of Amyris balsamifera oil. Another two oil samples were found to be synthetic mixtures: benzyl benzoate predominating in one, and synthetic alcohols, such as javanol, polysantol and ebanol, in the other. The product label only gave correct information in three cases: one sample containing Santalum album oil and two samples containing Amyris balsamifera oil. The synthetic samples described as 100% natural essential oil from sandalwood are particularly dangerous and misleading to the consumer. Moreover, the toxicological properties of javanol, polysantol and ebanol, for example, are unknown.
Highlights
Accepted: 31 March 2021Essential oils (EO) have accompanied people for centuries
The leak from the chromatographic column was analyzed after electron ionization (EI), whereas the obtained positive ions were registered in scan mode within the range 10–350 Th
Among the six “sandalwood oils” tested, none of them met the requirements of ISO
Summary
Essential oils (EO) have accompanied people for centuries. Recent years have seen a return to natural remedies, including EO, in cosmetics, personal protection products, food, aromatherapy and medicinal purposes. Research conducted in recent years has found essential oil components to have a wide range of pharmacological effects, including antimicrobial, antioxidant and relaxing properties [1,2,3]. EO’s chemical composition, and the pharmacological and toxicological properties, depends on the species or plant part (leaves, flowers, bark, roots, etc.) from which it is obtained. Such wide use of EO entails the need for effective quality control. In Europe, when used as food additives, they must comply with the requirements of the European Food
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