Rosmarinus officinalis water: properties, uses, pros, cons, safety
Rosmarinus officinalis water is a botanical ingredient obtained from the evergreen plant of the same name that belongs to the Lamiaceae family.
It is extracted using solvents such as hexane, ethanol or food-grade acetone through filtration, purification, solvent evaporation, drying and sieving.
Another industrial technique for its production goes through 4 stages: drying, steam distillation, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, and hydrodistillation. Drying is the most delicate part of the production preparation process and is the one that determines the quality of the final product.
Among the polyphenolic components present in rosemary, carnosic acid has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and rosmarinic acid has neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties.
Main uses
Food.
It is authorized in the EU as E392 with an antioxidant function. Use is regulated by food categories and maximum limits; operationally it is selected when oxidative stability of the fat fraction is critical. In some categories (e.g., processed meat and processed fish products) use may be expressed “on a fat basis” and may include specific levels even for low-fat products, to ensure a minimum technological efficacy threshold.
Cosmetics - INCI Functions
Fragrance. It plays a very important role in the formulation of cosmetic products as it allows perfume to be enhanced, masked or added to the final product, improving its commercial viability. The consumer always expects to find a pleasant scent in a cosmetic product.
CAS: 84604-14-8 generic
Cultivation
Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is a Mediterranean aromatic species cultivated in temperate areas. For E392, agriculturally driven variability (chemotype, season, pedoclimatic conditions) is managed industrially through extraction, deodorization/decolorization where applicable, and especially through standardization of carnosic acid and carnosol content to specification.
Key constituents
The functional reference constituents are carnosic acid and carnosol (phenolic diterpenes), accompanied by other phenolic fractions and a controlled share of volatile compounds (which can be reduced via deodorization). The final composition depends on extraction technology and commercial grade, but antioxidant performance is practically correlated with the assay expressed as (carnosic acid + carnosol).
Studies
In the phytochemical analysis, 18 components were identified, namely 13 flavones, two organic acids and three diterpenes. A total of 82 components were found in the volatile fractions, including hydrocarbon monoterpenes and 1,8-cineole, camphor, borneol and verbenone as dominant components, α-pinene and camphene among the oxygenated monoterpenes (1).
Among the polyphenolic components present in rosemary, carnosic acid has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and rosmarinic acid has neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties.
Rosmarinic acid also has anti-oxidative properties.
Rosemary extract exerts a relaxing action on the muscles of the trachea and intestines and has therapeutic potential in the prevention of various diseases including cataracts, atherosclerosis, peptic ulcer disease, and cardiovascular disorders (2).
Rosemary essential oil obtained from leaves or flowers is used in dermatology to treat wounds and minor skin eruptions, in gastrointestinal disorders as an anti-dispeptic, diuretic and antispasmodic in renal colic (3), in neurology for headaches and circulation problems, in pneumology as an expectorant.
Cosmetics
This oil is included in cosmetic formulations as an emollient and as a fragrance and can activate, through the flavonoids it contains, different pharmacological effects useful in cosmetics such as antimicrobial action, skin relaxing. disinfectant.
Food
Used as a spice and seasoning in foods and as a natural preservative in the food industry
