Flavors and fragrances

Cinnamic aldehyde is used as a flavoring agent, ingredient of fragrance in soft drinks, ice creams, dentifrices, pastries, chewing-gum, etc. It can induce both contact urticaria and delayed-type reactions. It can be implicated in contact dermatitis in those who work in the perfume industry or food handlers. Cinnamic aldehyde is contained in the “fragrance mix”.

Cinnamaldehyde is a pale yellow to yellow-green oily liquid with a strong pungent, spicy, cinnamon odor. It is generally insoluble in water and many organic solvents, but is miscible with alcohol and other flavoring oils. Exposure to air will cause thickening and oxidation.

As an organic compound, Cinnamyl alcohol has a very distinct sweet, spicy, hyacinth odour that is found in resins, balsams and cinnamon leaves. It is used commonly in the fragrance industry due to its distinctive odour, which can be applied as a deodorant, fragrance and additive in cosmetic products and in the formulation of bath products, body and hand products, such as soaps, toothpaste, deodorants, etc. Besides, it also finds application as a food additive in chewing gum, bakery products, candy and soft drinks. Naturally, Cinnamyl alcohol is occurrent only in small amount, thus its industrial demand is usually fulfilled by chemical synthesis starting from the reduction of cinnamaldehyde.