MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC CROPS (2+1)

Importance and chemical composition

Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.), belonging to the family, Amaryllidaceae, is essentially a florist's flower- a leading commercial crop because of its multifarious uses. The fleshy, white, tubular flowers emit a strong odour and hence are cultivated on a large scale in some parts of the world for the extraction of highly valued natural flower oil, the tuberose oil. The predominant charac¬teristics of this crop are its lingering, delightful fragrance and excellent keeping quality.
The tuberose oil contains methylbenzoate, methyl anthranilate, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, butryic acid, phenyl acetic acid, methyl salicylate, eugenol, geraniol, nerol both free and as acetates, farnesol, methyl vanillin and piperomel. The leaves, flowers, bulbs and roots are reported to contain sterols, triterpenes, carbohydrates, saponins and traces of alkaloids.

The tuberose flower oil of commerce is one of the most sought after and expensive raw materials in perfumery. The fresh flowers give a concrete yield of 0.08 to 0.11 %, of which nearly 18 to 23% constitutes the alcohol-soluble 'absolute'. The essential oil is used in only the highest grade perfumes. Sometimes, the oil is used in flavouring candy, beverages and baked food.