Use of secondary metabolites from medicinal and aromatic plants in the fragrance industry

Abstract

The metabolites biosynthesized by medicinal and aromatic plants make it possible to be part of the fragrance industry. Natural products have been used for millennia as raw materials for perfumery: flowers, fruits, seeds, leaves, whole plants, woods, roots and resins have been, and are, primordial sources for obtaining aromatic materials. The perfume of a natural product is usually the result of a complex interaction of the different constituents, so each and every one of the components contributes to the total olfactory perception. Therefore, this chapter aims to inform about the use of secondary metabolites extracted from some medicinal and aromatic plants of economic importance in the perfume industry, the importance of essences and about natural fragrances and enfleurage (extraction of aroma from flowers).