Pimenta Berry Oil is steam distilled from dried, crushed, fully grown, but unripe fruits of the West Indian tree, Pimenta officinalis. Certain manufacturers insist on water distillation and there is reason to believe that this type of distillation yields a superior quality of oil. The tree is a native of the West Indies and grows wild abundantly on many of the islands, particularly Jamaica. In Guatemala, Venezuela, Honduras and Trinidad, various related species of the tree also grow and they yield slightly different essential oils.
Pimento Berry Essential Oil (Allspice) CAS 8006-77-7
Pimenta Berry Oil is a pale yellow liquid with a warm-spicy, sweet odor, presenting a peculiar, but fresh and clean topnote and a long-lasting, sweet, balsamic-spicy bodynote with a tea-like undertone. There is a certain resemblance to clove bud oil in the slightly sour-fresh, fruity topnote. Any dryness in the odor, any lack of sweet freshness and dullness of the dryout, should arouse the suspicion of the evaluator. The flavor of pimenta berry oil is equally warm, sweet, not burning, slightly peppery, but not dry. The odor of the air over the liquid flavored with pimenta berry oil is initially light and fresh. This is typical of the berry oil. For this reason, the oil is used extensively in fruit flavors of the “heavier” type, e.g. plum, blackcurrant, pineapple, cherry, etc. The main use, however, is in food products such as meat sauces, spice blends for pickles, sausages, etc. The
Arctander, Steffen . Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin