Mysore Mallige - Jasmine Absolute

Jasmine Absolute

Absolute is the solvent extracted product of Jasmine. It is rendered through the process explained by Mandy Aftel, quoted below.The solvent extracts are supplied from the Jasmine extraction units located in South India where several thousand acres of Jasmine farms exist in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

“Flowers are placed on racks in a hermetically sealed container. A liquid solvent, usually hexane, is circulated over the flowers to dissolve the essential oils. This produces a solid waxy paste called a “concrete”. The concrete is then repeatedly treated with pure alcohol (ethanol) which dissolves the wax and yields the highly aromatic liquid known as an absolute. This method is also used for extracting resins and balsams and for rendering the animal essences, such as civet, musk, ambergris and castoreum”. (source: Mandy Aftel, Essence and Alchemy".