IFEATWORLD December 2022

CIT-22-xxxxx-08-IFEAT_PrintAd_001.pdf 1 8/10/22 2:11 PM

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FROM THE IFEAT

2022 VANCOUVER

CONFERENCE CHAIR

WORLD 3

The IFEAT 2022 Vancouver

Conference was a wonderful success!

Trepidation for the organisers and

Executive Committee was quickly

dispelled after a few weeks once

registration was opened. Not having

had a Conference with in-person

meetings for three years was

challenging. It was fantastic for all

that were able to attend; to feel some

normalcy, having been confined due

to the COVID-19 pandemic.

926 delegates attended Vancouver

along with 36 accompanying

persons. We enjoyed 557 companies

representing 59 countries.

During the opening, we were

welcomed and blessed by the

Indigenous First Nations Peoples.

The Westin Bayshore venue did not

disappoint. Situated on the English

Bay with the magnificent North Shore

Mountains in the background, coupled

with the weather being perfect,

we simply could not have asked

Vancouver for any more hospitality!

Initial feedback regarding the

speaking presentations has been

great. The opening by Minter

Dial was energetic, uplifting, and

informative…. do you know your

north? Kim Bleimann’s medal lecture

was jam-packed with so much

content underscoring the regulatory

challenges we face. Henry Gill gave

Vancouver’s final presentation which

was a fact-filled talk on many of

the market conditions our industry

is facing. If you missed any of the

presentations, remember these can

be viewed by all registered delegates

and revisited until 13th January

2023 on the Whova event platform,

and please do complete the post

Conference survey on the Whova

app because your responses provide

us with valuable information which

help us continue to improve future

Conferences and provide greater

benefit to our delegates.

During the conference, Dominque

Roques launched the English version

of his book entitled “In Search of

Perfumes.” A long queue for the

book was formed with each person

fortunate to receive a signed copy.

The closing banquet, sponsored

by Citrus and Allied, was very

well attended. Sami Ghawi of

FUSIONpresents made the event

memorable with a tremendous lineup

of DJ music and the organisation of

the band Phonix. From the moment

the music began the dance floor was

full of attendees dancing with great

enjoyment, finishing off what was a

great week of business meetings.

Many, many thanks to all the sponsors

along with the professional staff,

our DMC (Rare Indigo), the IFEAT

Vancouver Conference Committee

and a very special thank you to the

IFEAT Local Organising Committee

too. None of what we experienced and

enjoyed would have been possible

without everyone’s help.

For more details, be sure to read the

Vancouver Conference roundup in this

edition of IFEATWORLD.

Lastly, let me once again ask for

everyone’s attention concerning the

regulatory challenges our industry

faces. With this concern in mind,

please ask yourself, how can you

engage and work with your industry

and your industry associations to

mitigate the regulatory tsunami that

is approaching and will impact us, if

we do not act?

I look forward to seeing everyone in

Berlin in 2023!

Alan Brown

Chair of the IFEAT 2022

Vancouver Conference Committee

CONTENTS

Vancouver 4 - 10

Conference Roundup

Whova App Report 11

Pine Chemicals 2022 11

International Conference

New Chair and 12

1st Vice Chair for IFEAT

Two IFEAT Executive 12

Committee Retirements

Two New Directors Join 13

the Executive Committee

Socio-Economic Report 14 - 27

on Cardamom

IFEAT Panel of Experts 29

My Favourite: Lemon 30 - 33

Valuing Our ‘Scents’ 34

of Identity

IFEAT 2023 35

Berlin Conference

If you would like to contribute editorial,

or write a “My Favourite” article, please

contact the editor, Tina Hotchin,

by email at: tina.hotchin@ifeat.org

4

WORLD

VANCOUVER CONFERENCE ROUNDUP

VANCOUVER

CONFERENCE ROUNDUP

Three years of meticulous planning

in a period of great uncertainty

caused by the pandemic, finally

reached fruition in Vancouver, Canada,

from the 9th to 13th October 2022.

The considerable efforts made by

the IFEAT Vancouver Conference

Committee, chaired by Alan

Brown, and supported by the Local

Organising Committee and IFEAT’s

Secretariat were realised with IFEAT’s

second Conference in Canada,

following the Montreal Conference in

2008.

The Vancouver Conference proved

a great success, much welcomed by

delegates after such a long absence.

Because of the uncertainty and travel

disruptions created by the pandemic

it was agreed that this would be

IFEAT’s first hybrid Conference,

whereby delegates could participate

either online or in-person. Although

online participation was better than

nothing, everyone present agreed

that meeting up in-person was much

superior.

The “Pacific Reunion” Conference

was held at the Westin Bayshore

Hotel, which provided ample space

for meetings, networking, company

meeting rooms and suites, and a

flavour and fragrance (F&F) workshop,

which are such vital components of

IFEAT Conferences. In addition, the

two large ballrooms were excellent

locations for the extensive fourday

lecture programme, the trade

exhibition, and the IFEAT AGM and

Business Session. Moreover, in part

because of access to hybrid facilities,

the presentations were more diverse

than at previous Conferences and the

quality was facilitated by the excellent

video reproduction, sound system,

and viewing screens available. In

addition, there was a range of eating

places and buffet areas located

throughout the hotel enabling the

lunch and coffee breaks to operate

smoothly. Furthermore, the hotel was

in a stunning location overlooking

Coal Harbour Bay, with views over

the bay to the mountains and forests

beyond. On top of all of this, the

weather was unseasonal and near

perfect - clear blue skies throughout

the day, no rain and stunning sunrises

and sunsets – enabling delegates

to relax and breathe in the fresh

Vancouver air with an occasional

stroll along the quayside to nearby

restaurants and bars.

As mentioned in the editorial by Alan

Brown on page 3, 926 delegates

and 36 accompanying persons

attended from 557 companies over 59

countries. There were also 35 online

only attendees.

The traditional ice breaker Welcome

Reception on Sunday evening allowed

delegates to meet up for drinks and

canapés with old friends they hadn’t

seen for some time – and make

new ones. The Reception began

with members of the First Nations,

representing the Indigenous people of

Canada, welcoming delegates to their

land. The Elder gave a speech, after

which there was a traditional dance

performance.

ALAN BROWN

The Conference programme was

opened on Monday morning by the

Conference Chair Alan Brown who

explained the theme was the “Pacific

Reunion” and why the Conference

differed in several respects from

previous years. As mentioned earlier,

it was IFEAT’s first hybrid Conference,

and it was the first with a professional

Master of Ceremonies - Ralph

Cochrane. He did an excellent job of

introducing speakers, moderating

the Q&A sessions, and ensuring

the programme ran to time with no

hitches. In addition, the Whova app,

first used in Athens, had been greatly

improved and delegates were able to

use it for a wide range of functions,

e.g., obtaining detailed information on

the programme, delegates, exhibitors,

and various events. All the Conference

speakers’ presentations would be

available to registered delegates on

the Whova app until 13th January

2023. Moreover, in the week prior

to the opening of the Conference,

WORLD 5

there was a series of online speed

networking sessions that enabled

delegates to meet other delegates

before meeting up in person.

There were four days of presentations,

in the mornings and some online

sessions on two of the afternoons.

Also, having a hybrid Conference

enabled presentations to be

made and discussions to be held

with delegates not physically

present. During the four days – and

seven sessions - there were 20

presentations, not including the

IFEAT AGM and Business Session,

covering a wide range of topics on

essential oils and F&F markets, as

well as addressing current legislative

and scientific issues. Each of these

presentations would be worthy of

a separate article in IFEATWORLD.

Holding lectures during the threehour

morning sessions was popular

and attendance figures reflected this.

The afternoon sessions that were

only held online were streamed into

the lecture hall with delegates also

having the option to view on the

Whova platform.

MINTER DIAL

Following the Conference opening

there were three excellent and diverse

presentations by skilled presenters

each with excellent PowerPoint slides.

The first was a dynamic, stimulating,

and motivational 90-minute session

on Energy in Connection with

Minter Dial, a professional speaker.

He endeavoured to energise the

audience and discuss concrete and

actionable ways to strengthen both

individuals and their businesses –

particularly after the major anxieties

of recent years: the pandemic, war,

economic, and political issues. He

explained why energy is vital in a post

pandemic world; how to be positive;

and how to tap into your essence with

the 5Es – engagement, exchange,

emotion, experience, and essence

(linking to your “north”). The session

incorporated online polls through

the Whova app as well as small

discussion groups. Very different from

any previous presentation at an IFEAT

Conference and from the feedback

we received, very popular too!

ALAIN FRIX

The second was a thought-provoking

and wide-ranging lecture by Alain

Frix discussing F&F Feedstocks

& Renewability. He reviewed the

increasing competition for renewable

feedstocks, the impact of mergers

and acquisitions, and the excessive

regulatory environment. Each major

source of F&F raw material ingredients

was discussed and quantified:

petrochemicals, forest products,

essential oils, and biotechnology.

Severe concerns were expressed

regarding their low renewability and

future availability for the F&F sector.

Finally, Alain explained why there is

no perfect sustainability solution, with

petrochemical and natural ingredients

each having a different, but never

complete, sustainability profile.

MICHAEL FORD

The third presentation by Michael

Ford, a specialist in import/export

documentation and regulatory

compliance at BDP International,

was very topical, discussing the

Current Transportation and Trade

Challenges Impacting Shippers.

Factors disrupting the global supply

chains in 2021 and 2022 were

covered including port congestion,

high freight costs, new regulations,

and COVID-19. Several important

transport and trade regulations

impacting the aroma trades were

discussed.

The afternoon saw an online

presentation by Romel Guzman on

Sustainability Assurance of Tonka

Beans in the Amazonian Region of

Venezuela.

HUSSEIN FAKHRY

A key feature of every IFEAT

Conference is the IFEAT AGM and

Business Session, which took place

on the Tuesday morning. The format

was like previous years: the 2021

Report and Accounts were approved;

the retiring Executive Committee

(EC) Chair Hussein Fakhry reviewed

the previous year’s activities; new EC

members John Cavallo and Henry Gill

were elected, and Catherine Crowley

was announced as the new EC Chair

with Geemon Korah becoming 1st

Vice Chair. Presentations were made

on the next IFEAT Conference which

will take place at the InterContinental

Hotel in Berlin, Germany from 8th -

12th October 2023 with the theme of

“Trade, Tradition, Modern Spirit.” and

the IFEAT Focus Study Tour to Spain

from 26th February - 1st March 2023.

IFEAT’s President, Alastair Hitchen,

also introduced a short and moving

“In Memoriam” video dedicated to

IFEAT Members who have passed

away since the Bali Conference.

During the session there were also

reports on the ICATS and Reading

University perfumery and flavour

education programmes supported

by IFEAT, and the presentation of the

IFEAT Best Student Medals to Holly

King (ICATS) and Marcella Di Mauro

(Reading).


6

WORLD


KIM BLEIMANN

Following the IFEAT Business

Session was Kim Bleimann’s much

anticipated wide ranging IFEAT 2022

Medal Lecture entitled Catalysts of

Change. Kim reflected on his nearly

50 years in the industry as Owner

and Chairman of Berjé. In addition,

during the past two decades, he

has played an influential role in

helping guide IFEAT’s growth. His

presentation was littered with quotes

but some of his own words reflected

the sentiment of his lecture, namely

“Thunderstorms are building all

around us” in references to the EU’s

Green Deal (see below) and “Death by

regulation is real”. Certainly, existing

and forthcoming regulations bore the

brunt of concerns regarding the future

of the F&F industry, citing especially

the impact of REACH and the EU

Green Deal, and the need to intensify

lobbying to bring about change. In

particular, he stressed how innovation,

a vital growth stimulus for the F&F

sector, was being threatened by

regulation, mergers and acquisitions,

and the reduced availability of

ingredients for the perfumers’ palette.

The afternoon session saw three

online presentations dealing with

specific aspects of the F&F sectors

in China, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. The

first was The Road to Innovation of

Oriental Aesthetics: Current Status

and Trends in the Chinese Fragrance

Market by Zhaokai Wu dealing with

how fragrance products are leading

an emerging consumer market in

China. The second provided a detailed

walk through the production and

processing of cinnamon oil in Sri

Lanka: Technological Development

in the Cinnamon Oil Industry &

Modern Usage of Essential Oils by

Ravindu Runage. The last of the day

was entitled Collaboration with the

Community Forest User Group: a

Tried-and-True Method of Promoting

Transparency, Accountability and

Sustainable Forest Management by

Prasun Satyal.

Wednesday morning was devoted to

an excellent but worrying overview

of The EU Green Deal and its impact

on Flavours & Fragrances: The

Domino Effect. The advent of the

EU Green Deal, originally presented

in December 2019, and two of its

eight strategic pillars, namely the

Chemical Strategy for Sustainability

(CSS) and the Farm to Fork (F2F)

initiative, will set new boundaries for

the flavour, fragrance, cosmetics, and

aromatherapy industries.

In all the seven presentations – a first

for IFEAT because it was a mixture

of in-person and online speakers

- provided clear, concise, and

informative information on different

aspects of the complex Green

Deal. Each was given by a leading

industry figure, some of whom were

industry association heads. These

were followed by a Q&A session

moderated by Sven Ballschmiede,

Executive Director of the International

Organization of the Flavor Industry

(IOFI).

Jens-Achim Protzen of EFEO and a

member of the IFEAT EC, gave a brief

introduction to the session which

was followed by Alexander Mohr,

who introduced the eight strategic

pillars, and the potential impact of

the CSS and F2F initiatives on the

flavour sector. Martina Bianchini,

who had recently written an article

on the Green Deal in IFEATWORLD,

presented IFRA’s strategy to defend

natural and synthetic ingredients

in the context of the Green Deal

ranging from the business impact

assessment to the development of

relevant criteria for the “Essential

Use” concept and IFRA’s high level

political outreach. Charles Laroche

reviewed the implementation of the

Green Deal and what the concept of

essentiality may eventually mean for

essential oils and natural complex

substances. Richard Meads discussed

the concept of “essentiality”, which so

far is without any formal assessment

of its feasibility, benefits, impacts,

or consequences for other policy

objectives, yet it is being progressively

proposed at EU-level as a new

regulatory principle. Andrew Fasey

discussed the legal framework and

practical implications of the concept

of essentiality. Finally, Graham

Ellis ended the speaker session by

WORLD 7


JENS-ACHIM PROTZEN ALEXANDER MOHR MARTINA BIANCHINI

addressing specific hazard endpoints.

All are extremely important and

current issues that everyone in the

industry should be talking about and

need to be addressed and discussed.

While IFEAT has supported the

overarching goals of the EU Green

Deal for sustainable growth and

remains committed together with

other industry Associations to support

the EU in making this transition to

achieve its policy ambitions, IFEAT

also believes that the F&F industry

deserves special consideration in

EU legislation and that consistency

between European and international

standards is key. The novel concept

of “Essential Use”, which is currently

not defined within EU law but which

would set the premise to legitimise

state intervention to direct or control

the development and use of groups

of chemicals and technologies, is of

particular concern.

The round table discussion has become

a feature of IFEAT Conferences and

on Wednesday afternoon Dominique

Roques (fresh from a successful

book signing the previous evening)

moderated a discussion on the issues

surrounding Certifications: a major

step forward or extra burden and cost?

Some 27 delegates discussed a wide

range of key issues relating to the rising

tide of certifications and their impact on

the producers, factories, supply chains

and brands.

8

WORLD

SHANAVAS BAVU

AJAY KUMAR JAIN

HENRY GILL


EDUARDO MATTOSO

The final day saw a range of diverse,

informative, and entertaining

presentations, namely:

• Process Optimisation; Value

Enhancement & Total Value

Recovery in Essential Oils &

Botanical Extracts Production by

Shanavas Bavu

• Can the F&F Industry Help Fight

Deforestation in the Amazon?

by Eduardo Mattoso

• A Deeper Look into Vietnamese

Cinnamon: from Seeds to Global

Market by Dr. Chuc Nguyen

SERGIO SEPIURKA

Running alongside the lecture

programme was the trade exhibition,

taking place over four days. Some

30 companies from a range of

countries participated on site, and five

companies with online only exhibition

booths. Certainly, the trade exhibition

proved to be a good opportunity

for companies to meet both current

business contacts and customers

and make new ones. There were also

41 company meeting rooms, which

were sold out. In addition, the regular

and popular Flavour and Fragrance

Workshop continued this year led by

Michael Zviely which took place over

one full day and was sold out.

Centre. The Conference Chair, Alan

Brown, besides thanking the many

Conference sponsors and speakers,

invited on stage those who helped to

make the conference such a success,

particularly the Local Organising

Committee and the IFEAT Secretariat

after which many people took to the

dance floor and were entertained by

the excellent band Phonix.

During the past three years, IFEAT

has managed and negotiated

through very difficult times. The

return of the in-person IFEAT

Conference suggests that there

is light at the end of the very dark

tunnel of 2020 and 2021. Vancouver

showed the resilience and ability

to adapt in difficult times. As the

Conference moves between

continents and with new companies

and countries participating, this

gives a clear indication that IFEAT

can continue to go from strength to

strength. Following on this trajectory,

Berlin in October 2023 should be

a spectacular affair – and we look

forward to seeing you there!

• Synthetic Menthol Used in the

Global Flavour and Fragrance

industries and the Effect on

Natural Menthol Production by

Ajay Kumar Jain

• The Production of Patagonian

Essential Oils in Argentina:

Compared Varieties of Douglas Fir

from North and South Pacific Areas

by Sergio Sepiurka

The final Conference

event, as always, was the

Closing Banquet held

on Thursday evening

at the spacious

Vancouver Conference

• The session ended with an

excellent presentation by Henry

Gill, Crop/Market Report: Buying

Better in a Turbulent Market.

We anticipate that these crop market

assessments will become a regular

feature of IFEAT Conferences.

ONE OF THE PERFORMERS

AT THE CLOSING BANQUET

WORLD 9

BEST STUDENTS

COLLECT THEIR MEDALS

Holly King (ICATS Course) and Marcella Di Mauro (Reading

University Flavourist Training programme) received their

medals at the Vancouver Conference. Holly was the ICATS

2022 best student and Marcella was Reading Flavourist

Training programme’s best student in 2021 so received

her award this year. The best student from the Reading

programme for 2022, Matthias Guggenberger, was unable

to attend in Vancouver and will receive his award in Berlin

along with the 2023 winners of the medal.

The IFEAT medal which is awarded to the best

students will be renamed the Mike Boudjouk

Medal for Student Excellence in his honour. Mike,

a former IFEAT Executive Committee Director, died

earlier this year and was instrumental in developing

IFEAT’s support of the ICATS courses and the

Reading Flavour programme.

HOLLY KING (ICATS) AND

MARCELLA DI MAURO (READING)

Receiving the IFEAT Best Student Medals

MIKE BOUDJOUK


A

HAT-

TRICK!

It has become a tradition at the Conference Closing

Banquet since Athens in 2017 for the IFEAT staff team

to give a gift to the Chair of the Conference Committee.

This year they presented Alan Brown with a traditional

Canadian “Mountie” hat - they then went on to present

Immediate Past Chair of the IFEAT Executive Committee

Hussein Fakhry with a Canadian faux fur hat and, not to

leave him out, they also gave IFEAT President Alastair

Hitchen a woolly ski hat!

10

WORLD

THANK YOU TO OUR IFEAT

VANCOUVER CONFERENCE

SPONSORS

PLATINUM


LANYARDS

GOLD

CLOSING BANQUET

SILVER

28

ONLINE PLATFORM & APP

RECHARGE AREA

HOTEL KEY CARD

LUNCH BREAKS

COFFEE BREAKS

ROUNDTABLE

FLAVOUR & FRAGRANCE

INGREDIENTS WORKSHOP

DELEGATE BAG GIFT INSERT

WORLD 11

WHOVA APP

REPORT

Once again we used the Whova event platform for

this year’s Conference. Here are some facts and

figures we received from Whova.

2022 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Private messages sent 1-on-1 70,648

Private group chats created 645

Attendee interaction 1-ON-1 54,277

(messages between attendees

who have interacted with each

other in private 1-on-1 messages)

Business cards scanned and exchanged 2,172

Attendees profile views 55,696

Total sponsor web page views 14,402

(people who clicked sponsor to go

through to their website)

Total exhibitor web page views 3,247

Mobile & web app total active users 997

(users who signed in to either mobile

or web app)

Used both mobile & web app 301

(users who downloaded the mobile

app and signed in to web app)

Mobile app active users (attendees 91%

who used the mobile app)

Web app active users (attendees 38%

who used the web app)

Points are awarded to people who use the app and we

decided to award a prize to the leaderboard winner Ozgur

Ozer, Executive Director of Sebat Rose Oil & Essential Oils

Co. Ltd. Ozgur was presented with a small prize at the

Closing Banquet.

The complexity of the pine chemicals industry was amply

demonstrated by the growing range of relevant and

important topics discussed at the highly successful Pine

Chemicals Association 2022 International Conference held in

Denver, Colorado, USA, from 25th to 27th September.

The PCA International Conference is recognised as the

premier international gathering of the global pine chemical

industry. Under the leadership of the PCA Executive Team

and staff led by Ms. Amanda Young, the 2022 event brought

together over 200 people from around the world. It was

once again a great success.

For those unfamiliar with pine chemicals, these products

are related to the processing of one of the world’s largest

biomasses: conifers. Nearly one billion MT of conifers

are processed each year, generating a large amount of

firewood, but also wood for important industries. It can be

estimated that conifers are responsible, every year, for some

200 million MT of lumber and panels for construction and

furniture, and more than 100 million MT of paper. These

lumber, panel and paper industries have an estimated

combined turnover of over US$250 billion. These industries

also generate numerous organic by-products. The

chemicals obtained from these by-products are known as

pine chemicals. Some pine chemicals can also be obtained

by other means, such as tapping, which involves collecting

the resin from the living tree.

Pine chemicals are very important raw materials for many

industries such as adhesives, inks, emulsifiers, soaps,

detergents, automotive, pharmaceuticals, animal feed,

construction, agriculture, paints, cleaners, food, perfumes,

camphor, and recently have faced a strong demand

for biofuels, which is changing some of the traditional

dynamics.

There are hundreds of pine-based chemicals, but the main

commercial products are lignosulfonates, tall oil rosins,

tall oil fatty acids, tall oil pitch/heads, and gum rosins.

Some products, such as crude sulfate turpentine and gum

turpentine, are probably familiar to you, although they

represent only a fraction of the pine chemicals.

The market evolution of various important coniferous

products was examined in terms of industry trends,

geopolitics, petrochemical markets, new technologies, and

advances in by-product recovery.

OZGUR OZER

Whova leaderboard winner

Due to the complexity of the topics discussed, a detailed

article will be published in our next issue of IFEATWORLD. It

will be an attempt to help the reader better understand the

characteristics of conifer feedstocks and how this biomass is

gaining ground and developing in terms of applications. The

article will reflect the opinions of various experts in the pine

chemical industry on the current and future role of one of

the world’s largest sources of biogenic chemicals.

12

WORLD

NEW CHAIR AND

1ST VICE CHAIR FOR IFEAT

IFEAT NEWS

CATHERINE CROWLEY

New Chair of the IFEAT Executive Committee

IFEAT is delighted to announce that

Ms Catherine Crowley of Eucaforest

(Pty) Ltd. is the new Chair of the

IFEAT Executive Committee. During

his annual speech at the IFEAT 2022

Vancouver Conference, Immediate

Past Chairman, Mr Hussein Fakhry,

extended a warm welcome to Ms

Crowley and also to the new 1st Vice

Chair, Mr Geemon Korah of Mane

Kancor Ingredients Private Limited,

who was 2nd Vice Chair for the past

year.

Both Ms Crowley and Mr Korah

were voted in at an Extraordinary

Executive Committee meeting held

on Tuesday 11th October 2022 during

the Conference.

GEEMON KORAH

New 1st Vice Chair of the

IFEAT Executive Committee

Mr Fakhry said: “Catherine has

been a steadfast supporter of my

Chairmanship under the duress of a

shorter Vice Chairship for her and it is

now my turn to support and serve her

as I become Immediate Past Chairman.

Catherine will also have the extremely

talented Mr Geemon Korah by her side

as he becomes 1st Vice Chair”.

TWO IFEAT EXECUTIVE

COMMITTEE RETIREMENTS

ALAIN FRIX

CSABA FODOR

Alain became Executive Committee

Chair in 2013 and saw IFEAT through

the transition of moving the IFEAT

Secretariat back to London from

Germany which led to the creation

of a staff team in 2015 and 2016.

Following his retirement as Executive

Committee Chair in 2016, he became

Scientific Committee Chair in 2019,

overseeing scientific support to

the industry along with many new

projects. He remained in this role until

his retirement this year.

After being the Local Organising

Committee Chair for the IFEAT

2007 Budapest Conference, Csaba

joined the Executive Committee and

became Finance Committee Chair

in 2014. During this time, IFEAT’s

new Finance team was created

with Ronit Meier joining as Finance

Coordinator in 2017 and TC Group

(formerly LSG) as IFEAT’s Accountant.

Csaba remained in this role for six

years and then from May 2020 took

on the role of Education Committee

Chair, overseeing IFEAT’s support

to educational institutes along with

investigating potential avenues for an

IFEAT Academy.

IFEAT thanks Alain and Csaba for their

passion and commitment to IFEAT

and to the Industry as a whole.

WORLD 13

TWO NEW

DIRECTORS JOIN

THE EXECUTIVE

COMMITTEE

topics that are in direct support of addressing key issues

and concerns impacting our industry today and proactively

looking to the future to evaluate those important topics

that may come. In my opinion, this is the proactive work

that we all strive for to make our industry better than

what it is today, and I was glad to be part of the Scientific

Committee team all working toward the same goals.

Moving forward I am hoping to help support and offer my

expertise where it can best be utilised. I’m excited to be part

of the IFEAT Executive Committee and engage with industry

professionals that have a global perspective from the farm

to the end-use products our industry offers.”

JOHN CAVALLO

Dr. John Cavallo is an accomplished flavour industry

executive with a global business background with over

25 years of experience. John is currently Senior Vice

President at the Citromax Group and manages the citrus

ingredient group in the USA and oversees Citromax

Ingredients (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which he is credited for

establishing in 2019.

Prior to his positions at the Citromax Group, John held

senior management positions at two related firms:

Vice President of Technology and Global Business

Development at Trilogy Essential Ingredients and Chief

Technology Officer at Citrus and Allied Essences in

addition to his role as General Manager, Trilogy Flavors

Shanghai Ltd. John was also President of Comax Flavors

and enjoyed a significant tenure as Sr. Vice President,

Global Beverage Business Unit at Symrise. He also

worked at Haarmann & Reimer and started his flavour

career at Givaudan.

John holds an MBA and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry

and has published a significant number of professional

and technical papers on nano and microemulsions.

He has a great interest in the use of these systems for

enhanced bioavailability, active ingredient delivery

and drug delivery, and oil stability. John is a member of

many technical organisations including the ACS, NAFFS,

FEMA, where he was FEMA President from 2016- 2018,

a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for Perfumer

& Flavorist and was elected to the IFEAT Executive

Committee during the AGM on 11th October 2022.

John told IFEATWORLD: “It’s an honour to be a member of

the IFEAT Executive Committee and be able to participate

in the face-to-face Vancouver meeting after such a long

absence. Before being selected to the Executive Committee

I served on the FEMA Board of Governors for 12-years and

followed that up by serving on the IFEAT Panel of Experts

supporting the IFEAT Science Committee. It was an exciting

time and very fulfilling to be part of a group working on

HENRY GILL

Henry Gill is the third generation of his family to be

involved in De Monchy Aromatics. He started his career

in China where he established and ran the group’s local

subsidiaries. During his eleven years there he travelled

widely throughout the country and witnessed first-hand

many examples of essential oil and aroma chemical

production. Outside of the industry, for several years he

was also involved in the British Chamber of Commerce

Shanghai as well as the UK’s Expo events programme.

In 2016 he relocated back to the UK as Group Managing

Director. With a degree in biological sciences from

Oxford University, Henry has a particular interest in

the production of natural aroma chemicals, an area of

growing importance for the business.

Henry told IFEATWORLD: “Following in the footsteps of

both my great uncle and more recently my father, it’s a

privilege to be asked to join IFEAT’s Executive Committee. I

attended my first IFEAT Conference in Hong Kong aged 16

(I was still at school at the time) and more recently assisted

with Conferences in both Cape Town and Shanghai. I was

very pleased to deliver our first market report in Vancouver

and look forward to further contributing to both IFEAT and

our industry more widely.”

IFEAT NEWS

14

WORLD

IFEAT

SOCIO–ECONOMIC REPORT

ON CARDAMOM 1

BY ELISA ARAGON 2 , PETER GREENHALGH 3

AND MITHUN CHAKRAVARTHY RAJAMANNAR 4

SOCIO–ECONOMIC REPORT ON CARDAMOM

INTRODUCTION

Cardamom is known as the “Queen of

Spices” and is one of the world’s most

expensive spices. It is the dried, fully

matured capsule or fruit of several

species of the genera Elettaria,

Amomum and Aframomum in the

family Zingiberaceae. The species

of E. cardamomum includes most of

the cultivated cardamom entering

international trade including:

• Mysore cardamom, indigenous

to India and has been introduced

to Guatemala, Honduras,

Indonesia, Tanzania, and Papua New

Guinea. Mysore species dominate

international trade – and are often

referred to as “true cardamom”.

• Malabar cardamom, indigenous to

India and suited to elevations up to

500 metres. Only small quantities

are traded internationally, and

it sells at a discount to Mysore

cardamom.

In addition, several species of

“large” cardamom (Amomum and

Aframomum species) are grown

commercially in various Asian and

African countries. This cardamom

is known by several other names

but negligible quantities enter

international trade outside Asia, since

they generally produce less aromatic,

larger capsules of lower commercial

value. Each type of cardamom has a

characteristic flavour and fragrance

but both types of seeds offer very

similar properties.

Cardamom is recognised by its small

seed pods: triangular in cross-section

and spindle-shaped, with a thin,

papery outer shell and small, black

seeds. Green cardamom - Elettaria

pods - are light green and smaller,

while black cardamom - Amomum

pods - are larger and dark brown.

This report relates almost solely to

small “true” cardamom.

GROWTH, CULTIVATION,

AND HARVESTING

Cardamom is a demanding crop in

all respects from the initial planting,

husbandry, and pruning, through to

harvesting and processing of the

seed capsules. The plant can be over

two metres in height but the seed

capsules emerge from the rhizome at

ground level. Moreover, the individual

capsules ripen at different stages

and to produce high quality green

WORLD 15

cured capsules, it is necessary to

pick capsules individually, a skilled

operation requiring care and good

judgement. Women dominate

cardamom harvesting while men

usually harvest the neighbouring

coffee crop.

Cardamom is a large, perennial

aromatic herb, with a tuberous,

horizontal, hard, and branched

rhizome, with fibrous roots that extend

horizontally up to 1.5 metres (m) away

from the rhizome. It has main stems

that reach a height of between 2 m

and 3 m. A stem can have one or two

flower spikes and up to 40 clusters

that can carry five to 10 flowers

each. The flowers self-fertilise and

are cross-pollinated by the action

of different types of bees. The fruit

(pod) begins as a green coloured

capsule and at maturity becomes

yellow-greenish in colour, known in

Guatemala as cereza when green

and pergamino when dehydrated.

The seeds known as oro, have a

strong aroma and flavour. They are

black, pyramidal, 3 mm to 4 mm

long, with a coarse surface. Each pod

holds around 20 small black seeds,

containing the essential oil.

Cardamom is propagated mainly

through seeds and through suckers,

each consisting of at least one old

and one young aerial shoot. Seedlings

are normally raised in primary and

secondary nurseries.

Cardamom grows at higher altitudes

in tropical forests. In Guatemala some

are found in areas fully exposed to

the sun, but efforts are being made

to move to forested areas to facilitate

conservation. If cardamom seeds are

planted, the first harvest is obtained

after three years, but if the rhizome is

planted, then the harvest is one year

earlier. Fruit ripening begins about five

months after flowering.

Yields vary depending on the

location, the variety planted, climatic

conditions, and the level of crop

maintenance. In Guatemala, with an

annual rainfall ranging from 2 m to

3 m and an average temperature of

22°, the average yield is between 35

kg and 45 kg per hectare (ha) of dried

cardamom, considering a green/dried

ratio of 5:1 (20% yield). Altitude will not

only affect yields but also the flavour

profile. Thus, more cineole notes at

higher altitudes and more terpineol

acetate at lower altitudes.

In India cardamom is grown in areas

where annual rainfall ranges from

1,500 mm to 4,000 mm, temperatures

range from 10°C to 35°C, and at an

altitude of 600 m to 1,200 m above

sea level. It is grown in forest loamy

soils which are usually acidic with a

pH range of 5.0 to 6.5. For a detailed

discussion of all aspects of cardamom

cultivation, including varieties,

propagation, nurseries, planting,

spacing, manuring, irrigation, and

weed control, see Chakravarthy (2021)

and Purseglove (1981).

The ripe fruit is harvested every one

or two months, depending on the

region or age of the plantation, but

in Guatemala the bulk of production

is obtained in the dry season after

October and mainly in January. The

green fruits (cereza) are harvested

manually from the bunch, starting at

the base with the ripest. For quality

reasons, it is important that the seeds

inside the green pods have changed

colour from white to brown or black.

To ensure the maturity and uniformity

of the seed it is recommended that

harvesting takes place every 35 to

40 days. In Guatemala the harvest

lasts approximately seven months

and the percentages of production

each month are estimated at 5%,

15%, 30%, 25%, 15%, 8% and 2%. In

India the optimum season is from

June to December with peak harvest

in October to November. Picking is

carried out at an interval of 15 to 30

days with five to six pickings in a year.

Ripe capsules are harvested to get

maximum green colouration during

curing. Ideally those fruits which are

just ripe, but not fully, are picked. Fully

ripe fruits tend to split on drying and

do not develop the desirable dark

green colour.

Cardamom is produced by

smallholders and on estates but

smallholder producers dominate.

Sometimes cardamom is grown

with other crops, particularly coffee.

Because of inter-cropping it is not

always easy to obtain a breakdown of

production and marketing costs when

these activities are inextricably mixed.

PROCESSING AND

PRODUCTS

Immediately after harvesting the

cardamom is dried either naturally

(sun drying) for several days or flue

curing. The latter produces a better

product. In Guatemala there is no sun

drying.

Flue curing

After harvesting, the seed capsules

are immediately cured in a kiln and

finally they are subjected to careful

sorting by colour and size, and then

into whole and split grades. Following

harvesting the green pods must be

dehydrated within 48 hours to ensure

that the pods do not rot. Dehydration

is invariably done in ovens and the

ratio of green to dry pods is usually

5: 1, i.e., there is an approximate

moisture reduction of 80%.

The cardamom pods can be

transformed into several different

products including spices, essential

oils, absolutes, CO2 extracts, and

other derivatives (e.g., oleoresins,

terphenyl acetate). Dried fruit or

cardamom capsule is the dominant

product traded. Cardamom can

be found as whole cardamom,

cardamom seeds, or in ground form

and it is also used as cardamom oil

and as an oleoresin.

Spices are the dominant use of

cardamom and are available in a wide

range of qualities and grades (see

later).

Essential oils are obtained by steam

distillation or hydro distillation of pods,

which are invariably those pods not

suitable to be sold as a spice. Dried

pods are ground to facilitate better

oil extraction, before being steam

distilled. The distillation process

takes between four to five hours and

the oil produced undergoes a final

preparation to allow it to reach its

full aromatic potential. It is estimated

that annual production of cardamom

oil in Guatemala ranges between 30

- 35 metric tonnes (MT) while in India

production is estimated at 35 - 40

MT. There is negligible distillation in

cardamom importing countries. In

terms of total cardamom production,

essential oil output is small.

Absolutes – produced by hexane

extraction.

CO2 extraction - supercritical CO2

extraction is a clean technology

used to obtain extracts from natural

materials and offers superior

quality while being benign to the

environment. It is free of harmful

organic solvents or alcohol and it

is eco-friendly being performed at

low temperatures without thermal

degradation of valuable ingredients.

Hence it is very much appreciated

by flavourists and perfumers but it is


16

WORLD


very expensive. There is some CO2

extraction in importing countries, but

output is thought to be very small.

Other derivatives: extraction of natural

terphenyl acetate from cardamom oil

which is one of the main constituents

of cardamom.

Each client invariably has one

standard of olfactive and analytical

composition. At the source, the

different companies that transform

the cardamom into an ingredient,

know how to choose their raw material

(pods) to comply with their clients’

requirements. CO2 extraction and

the production of other derivatives,

including absolutes, is not currently

undertaken in Guatemala although

some production is undertaken in

India and some consuming countries.

USES AND PRODUCTS

Cardamom use has a very long history

being one of the world’s most ancient

spices and many historical texts refer

to its flavouring and medicinal uses.

It was used by the Egyptians as a

tooth cleaner, and by the Greeks and

Romans as a perfume. The Vikings

used it in Scandinavia over a thousand

years ago, where it is still a popular

flavouring ingredient in baked goods.

Today, the Middle East dominates

cardamom consumption, accounting

for approximately two-thirds of global

cardamom imports. These imports

are predominantly high-quality

cardamom for use in gahwa coffee – a

strong cardamom coffee, that is an

unavoidable habit of the Arab lifestyle.

Its main use is as a seasoning in coffee

and tea where it is used in its own

right. It is also used in combination

and works in a range of flavours,

predominantly natural flavours.

Globally, one estimate suggests that:

• At least 60% of cardamom is used

in flavours, predominantly

beverages, food, and snacks. As

a flavouring agent in beverages,

it is particularly used in coffee and

tea. Also, in the food industry for

flavouring curries and meat dishes,

sweets, confectioneries, in bakery

products, and as an ingredient

of curry (masala) powder. In India

it is also used as a taste enhancer in

chewing tobacco.

• 35% in fragrances: fine fragrances,

body care, home care, and candles.

Perfumers describe cardamon as

having warm, sweet, woody, spicy,

balsamic, resinous, and peppery

characteristics. It has a lot more of

these characteristics than other

spicy materials such as cinnamon,

clove bud, black pepper, and ginger.

It is used in a range of fragrances

from fine to home fragrances. In

perfumery it can only be used in

small dosages as it is very strong.

• 5% in aromatherapy: this is growing.

It has well documented health

benefits and is used in Ayurveda

and Chinese medicine as a powerful

aromatic, stimulant, carminative,

stomachic, and diuretic.

It is increasingly being used in new

products for flavouring uses as the

diagram illustrates.

WORLD 17

QUALITY AND GRADES

Cardamon Spice

Both Guatemala and India have

complex cardamom grading systems

and nomenclature. There are several

important factors influencing the

quality including the weight in grams

per litre (density), the proportion of

open pods, the proportion of thrips

and the colour. In Guatemala there

can be more than 12 different grades

of cardamom pods but this mainly

relates to cardamom’s use as a spice.

• terpineol, alpha 1-3%

• terpineol acetate, alpha 35-45%

Thus, the two main constituents

are eucalyptol, which gives the

freshness to the top notes of the

oil, and terpineol acetate, which

is a more complex aroma giving a

more aromatic profile. It is unusual

to find both these components

together. Indian oil smells more of

cineole and eucalyptus in character

than Guatemalan oil which is

higher in terpineol acetate. The

greener the pod then the higher

the eucalyptol level, as you move

towards more yellowish pods then

the terpineol acetate increases

and gives more aromatic notes.

The “large” cardamom (Amomum

and Aframomum species) has

more cineol and hence eucalyptus

characteristics. It tends to be dried

in more smoky conditions and has a

phenolic note. Since it is not included

on the FEMA GRAS list this acts as a

constraint on its use.

The different qualities depend on

the maturation grade of the pod

when harvested. The greener the

pod then the fresher, while yellow

seeds are over matured. Examples of

Guatemalan grades for conventional

cardamom:

• Jumbo green: diameter of

9 mm with an average density of

>410 gr/lt

• Large green: diameter of 8 mm with

an average density of >400 gr/lt

• Fancy green: diameter of 7 mm with


• Small green: diameter of 5 mm with


• MYQ (mixed yellow quality): mix

of sizes and colours with an average

density of >360 gr/lt

• Green open: mix of sizes with an

average density of >360 gr/lt

• Seeds or oro: mix of sizes with

an average > 650 gr/lt

Cardamom Oil

In Guatemala less than 5% of

cardamom production is steam

distilled to produce an essential oil.

The oil produced is a colourless to

pale yellow liquid.

• Specific Gravity (200C): (0.918-0.940)

• Refractive Index (200C): (1.460-

1.469)

• Optical Rotation (200C): (Between

+24° and + 39°)

The main chemical constituents

(determined by gas chromatography)

of Guatemalan distilled cardamom oil

are:

• a-pinene 1-2%

• eucalyptol 25-37%

• terpineol-4 0.5-1.5%

PERCENTAGE COMPOSITION OF CARDAMOM

VOLATILE FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES

Component Var. Malabar Var. Malabar Var. Mysore Sri Lanka

(Ceylon) (Guatemala) (Wild)

α-Pinene 1.10 0.71 1.40 13.00

Camphene 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.13

Sabinene 2.50 3.40 3.10 4.90

β-Pinene 0.20 0.34 0.26 4.90

Myrcene + terpinene 1.80 1.50 1.10 2.50

α-Phellandrene 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.42

D-Limonene 0.02 0.12 0.14 2.10

1,8-Cineole 31.0 23.4 44.0 3.30

γ-Terpinene 0.12 0.34 0.10 22.2

Linalool 2.10 4.50 3.00 3.70

Citronellal 0.01 0.04 0.06 0.13

4-Terpineol 0.14 0.28 0.87 15.3

α-Terpineol 1.40 1.90 1.50 0.86

As with other essential oils, especially

those with high and fluctuating prices,

adulteration of cardamom oil is an

issue. This is partly illustrated by

the lower prices at which some oil

is offered on the market, sometimes

designated as “commercial quality”.

Synthetic terpene acetate is one

main adulterant. Adulteration can be

minimised with greater traceability

and transparency.

PRODUCTION

World production of cardamom is

dominated by Guatemala and India.

In the mid 1970s, annual global

production was estimated at 13,000

– 14,000 MT with Guatemala (6,000

– 8,000 MT) and India (3,500 – 5,000

MT) dominating production. Other

producers included Honduras (350 –

400 MT) and Papua New Guinea.

Currently global production is in the

region of 55,000 MT with Guatemala,

the world’s largest producer

accounting for approximately 60%

of global output. It is followed by

India but climatic factors have

seen a substantial fall in recent

Indian output. It is estimated

that Guatemala’s current annual

production fluctuates around

35,000 MT.

Guatemala

Cardamom is produced as a cash

crop by 350,000 smallholder

producers in the poorest regions

of Guatemala on 63,000 ha of land.

Production is mainly concentrated

in the departments of Alta Verapaz,

Baja Verapaz, Izabal, Huehuetenango,

and Quiché, where it is often

intercropped with coffee. Cardamom

was introduced into Guatemala

in 1914 to diversify agricultural

production but it only became a

major producer and exporter from

the 1970s. The altitude, climate,

and rich soils in Guatemala were

factors in the crop’s success, leading

to it becoming the world’s largest

exporter.


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20

WORLD

LOCATION OF CARDAMOM

PRODUCTION IN GUATEMALA

In Guatemala, cardamom production is

mainly concentrated in five departments:

HUEHUETENANGO

QUICHÉ

ALTA VERAPAZ

BAJA VERAPAZ

IZABAL


Annual exports of pergamino (dried

cardamom) were relatively stable,

fluctuating between 32,000 MT and

37,000 MT between 2015 and 2020. In

sharp contrast, the rise of cardamom

prices in recent years resulted in a

dramatic increase in the value of

exports, which exceeded US$ 1 billion

in 2020 – higher than the estimated

international trade in pepper.

Estimates of Guatemalan production

for the 2022-23 harvest range

between 38,000 and 40,000 MT. This

is higher than the 2020-21 crop, which

was badly impacted in November

2020 by hurricanes Eta and Iota, the

worst tropical storms in decades,

causing heavy rains, flooding, and

avalanches in the growing areas.

Unlike India, domestic consumption is

negligible and almost all cardamom

production is exported predominantly

as a dried spice. Thus, 95% of the

seeds or pods are exported as such

and only 5% used in the country to be

distilled and exported as an oil and

related products. The Middle East

is the dominant export region, with

Saudi Arabia and the UAE being the

main destinations, although other

important export markets include

Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Kuwait,

Jordan, Syria, and Singapore.

After harvesting the green cardamom

pods are dehydrated and there are

some 3,500 dehydration ovens in

the growing areas. The pods need

to be dehydrated within 36 to 48

hours or they will begin to rot. Hence

a grower’s location is a key factor in

delivering them to intermediaries

and/or the ovens. There are many

thousands of intermediaries who are

usually those who have vehicles in

the communities. There can be one

or two or even more intermediaries, it

depends how far away they are from

the dehydration ovens. Once pods are

dehydrated to pergamino there are

several options prior to export. There

may be one or several intermediaries

between the oven and the final

purchaser. Sometimes there may be

no intermediaries between the ovens

and the final purchasers - who are the

exporters or the distillers.

WORLD 21

GUATEMALA CARDAMOM VALUE CHAIN

SOURCE: ADAPTED FROM ARAGON (2021)

Small

Producers

Intermediaries

(Coyotes)

Dehydration

Ovens

Intermediaries

(Coyotes)

Exporters or

Distillers

Approx 45,000

cultivated

350,000 families

producing in different

regions of Guatemala

Usually people from

the communities

which own a vehicle

Buy the green seeds

named “cereza” from

producers and bring

them to the oven,

they have 48h to

transport the green

pod

Dry the green seeds

into dried seeds

“pergamino”

Usually finance the

first intermediaries

3,500 ovens

distributed within

the cultivated area

Collect from various

ovens and sell to

exporters or distillers

Can be 1 or more

intermediaries

between ovens and

final purchaser

Exporters separate

the seeds into 12

grades

Distillers process the

dried pod to produce

oil

Can be 1 or more

intermediaries

between producers

& ovens

India

Cardamom - Elettaria cardamomum

( L.) - is native to the evergreen rain

forests of the Western Ghats in South

India and is cultivated in the states

of Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

Thick shady areas with loamy soil are

ideal for cultivating cardamom.

Black cardamom, also known as

brown, greater, large, longer, or Nepal

cardamom, comes from the species

Amomum subulatum and is native to

the eastern Himalayas and is mostly

cultivated in Eastern Nepal, Sikkim,

and parts of the Darjeeling district

in West Bengal, India, and southern

Bhutan. It is also produced in Sri

Lanka.

For centuries India used to be the

dominant global producer but has in

recent decades been overtaken by

Guatemala. Recently climatic factors

in India have led to a substantial fall

in Indian output. Current production

for the 2022-23 season is estimated at

15,000 - 17,000 MT but at the time of

writing, the harvesting had not been

completed.

Cardamom oil production in India is

estimated at approximately 35 - 40

MT of which a sizeable amount is

consumed domestically. Availability

of cardamom is not a constraint on

oil production – since only a small

proportion of cardamom is processed

into oil.

The diagram on page 26 (based on

Hameedu 2014) summarises the

cardamom supply chain in Kerala, the

dominant producing region. It shows

the channels through which the

cardamom passes and the key players

and activities involved. The first

column indicates the major functions

in the chain, namely production,

collection, trading, and marketing

of cardamom. The second column

indicates the key players and their

activities. Thus, following production

and harvesting of the cardamom

capsules, they are washed and dried

in curing chambers – a process taking

18 to 24 hours. The dried capsules

are then graded based on size and

colour and then moved along the

supply chain. They are transported

by road via collectors, village

traders, merchants, wholesalers, and

eventually sold in domestic or foreign

markets. The third column lists the

major players involved from farmers

through to traders, input suppliers,

exporters, and then to customers.

The final column lists the support

services that assist and facilitate

the key players in performing their

functions. These include government

institutions, non-government

organisations, auctions, farmers’

organisations, warehouses, credit,

and input suppliers. Approximately

half of Indian cardamom production

is sold through public auctions, the

remainder in the open market.


22

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INDIA KERALA

Map credit: Kambliyil, CC BY-SA 4.0

<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>,

via Wikimedia Commons

24

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INDIA CARDAMOM SUPPLY CHAIN

SOURCE: ADAPTED FROM HAMEEDU (2014)

Marketing

Transfer to

foreign/domestic

market

Buyers abroad/

foreign customers/

domestic customers

Inputs/packaging

material suppliers

Transportation

Trading III

Transfer to

merchants/

wholesalers

National traders/

exporters

Farmers group


Trading II

Trading I

Production

Functions

Papua New Guinea

In PNG cardamom is grown by

smallholders and on estates. In small

farmers’ gardens the crop is usually

planted in monoculture on relatively

fertile soils; production technology is

simple and effective using low inputs.

The gestation period is two and a

half to three years. Mean yields have

been estimated to range from 120

to 200 kg/ha dried capsules. Mean

labour requirements were estimated

at 0.5 to one person per day per kg

of dry cardamom produced. Estate

production technology is more

advanced with fertilisers, pesticides,

and more regular maintenance. Yields

can range from 450 to 750 kg/ha or

more dry capsules.

Honduras

Cardamom was introduced into

Honduras in the late 1970s by

large estates on the border with

Guatemala. The stimulus was

the poor coffee price along with

awareness of Guatemala’s increasing

export success. It was then adopted

more widely by both estates and

smallholders at altitudes between

800 and 1,000 metres, intercropped

with coffee and often on slopes

as steep as 45°. Production is

concentrated in the mountainous

Transfer commodity

to collectors/village

traders

Plantation, harvesting,

drying and grading

Activities

Regional

traders

Village traders/

collectors

Small

growers

Major Players

north-western Departments of Copan,

Santa, Barvara, and Cortes.

Around the year 2000 annual

production was estimated at 250 -

270 MT. No direct exports have been

undertaken but rather capsules

and seeds are sold to neighbouring

Guatemala for re-export. Some

production of cardamom oil was

undertaken from the late 1980s but

is now thought to be very small or

non-existent. Several factors account

for this, namely limited availability of

seed, because of sales to Guatemala;

limited knowledge of essential oil

production, and a reluctance to invest

in further added value operations.

Tanzania

In the mid-1970s Tanzania ranked as

the world’s third-largest producer

of cardamom, accounting for an

estimated 20% of global output,

producing both green and black

cardamom. However, by 2011 this

had fallen to approximately 3%

of global volume. Cardamom is

still produced in the Usambara

Mountains in the northeast region

of Tanga, the Uluguru Mountains in

central Tanzania, and in the southern

highlands, particularly the Mbeya

region, all good natural environments

Planters

Private warehouses

State Warehouse

Corporation

Auction centre at

Spices Park

Supporters

for growing cardamom. Production

is still small, with estimated annual

production of 150 – 200 MT of dried

cardamom.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka – also known as the “Spice

Islands” - is a small producer of

cardamom and is most unlikely to

become a sizeable producer. It is

grown in the central hill country at

elevations over 600 m. There are

three varieties classified by the

shape of the inflorescence, namely

Malabar, Mysore, and Vazhukka.

While cardamom can be propagated

both through suckers and seedlings,

suckers are better and commonly

used. It starts to bear three years after

planting and the harvesting takes

place from September to January.

Capsules are picked before they

are fully ripe and clipped off using

scissors. Harvesting is done at three

to six week intervals. The capsules

are then washed to remove dirt and

borer-attacked capsules, then well

drained and dipped into a 2% solution

of sodium carbonate (washing soda)

for 10 - 15 minutes to help retain the

green colour. Drying is done in hot air

barns in which capsules are spread

on shallow wire mesh-bottomed trays

and placed on shelves in the chamber

WORLD 25

at 45 - 50°C. The drying process takes

place over 35 – 40 hours in curing

chambers with trays interchanged

every 10 – 12 hours. After drying, the

capsules are rubbed on wire mesh to

remove stalks and then winnowed.

The final product is stored away from

strong sunlight in black polythene

sacks to preserve the colour. The

dried yield is around 60 kg/ha but

can be as high as 250 kg /ha under

good management. The cardamom is

graded into five categories according

to the SLS 166:7980 standards.

Production in the early 2000s ranged

between 60 – 70 MT per year.

PRICES

For a variety of reasons cardamom

prices fluctuate widely and when

prices are low smallholders tend to

neglect harvesting and decrease

plantings, leading to lower production.

In periods of higher prices, the

opposite is true. The 2019-20 harvest

began in October and thanks to

favourable weather and higher yields

a good crop was anticipated leading

to a price decrease. However, the

impact of COVID-19 and climatic

factors could limit this downward

price pressure, as could a projected

decrease in 2022-23 production.

As regards cardamom oil prices, for

several years, until late 2018, the oil

price remained relatively stable at

around US$ 200/kg. During late 2018

and until recently, supply issues,

particularly in India, led to a three-fold

increase in oil prices.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC

IMPACT

Guatemala

In Guatemala cardamom is produced

as a cash crop by 350,000 smallholder

producers in some of the poorest

regions of the country producing

cardamom on plots of 0.5 to 1 ha

covering an estimated surface area

of 45,000 ha. Guatemala is one

of the countries with the largest

indigenous populations on the

American continent and up to six

different indigenous communities

work in cardamom production.

Moreover, since cardamom is not

consumed locally it represents a vital

cash crop to these growers as well as

others in the value chain. As in India,

approximately half the labour force

is female, who dominate harvesting

while the men are working on planting

and crop maintenance.

Alongside the hundreds of thousands

of growers there are many other

stakeholders in the cardamom value

chain moving the green cardamom

from the field to the final consumer.

These include numerous small and

wholesale intermediaries, oven

operators, wholesale distributors, raw

material and other input suppliers,

transport operatives, processors,

traders, exporters, and retailers.

As production volumes increased

from the 1970s so exports began to

have greater economic importance.

INDIA: CARDAMOM AREA (HA) & PRODUCTION (TONNES)

Along with coffee, sugar, and

bananas, cardamom has now

become one of Guatemala’s largest

agricultural exports. There has been a

sizeable upward trend in cardamom’s

foreign exchange earnings but with

substantial annual fluctuations. Thus,

the value of cardamom pod exports

increased five-fold between 2016 and

2020. Values rose from US$229 m in

2016; US$367 m. in 2017; US$434 m in

2018; US$648 m 2019; and US$1,134

m in 2020, reflecting the rapid rise

in cardamom prices in recent years.

Export earnings are likely to decline

in the early 2020s.

In addition, cardamom generates

environmental benefits since it is one

of the best land uses, including the

protection and conservation of the

local biodiversity if the crop is not

produced in full sun exposure.

India

More than 50,000 people are

involved in the cardamom industry

in India. The Spices Board of India

has produced detailed data on

cardamom production, producers,

area, and exports. The table below

shows that almost 70,000 ha are

devoted to small cardamom in India,

although there is some intercropping.

Production has shown wide annual

fluctuations, peaking recently in

2020/21 at approximately 22,250 MT

for small cardamom and 8,800 MT for

larger cardamom, according to Spice

Board data.


2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20* 2020-21*

Area Production Area Production Area Production Area Production Area Production

Cardamom 69,357 17,990 69,330 20,650 69,132 12,940 69,994 11,235 69,190 22,520

(Small)

Cardamom 26,617 5,572 26,617 5,906 42,826 8,669 44,082 8,530 44,701 8,803

(Large)

*Figures subject to revision. Source: Spices Board India

Some 60% of growers are over 40

years old and 60% have had secondary

education and above, while 14% have

had no formal education. Some 77%

of farms are below 2 ha, 19% range

between 2 - 4 ha with 4% above 5 ha.

Just over 80% is monocrop, while 39%

had annual production below 3 MT,

57% of producers ranged between 3 –

6 MT and 4% of producers had annual

production above 6 MT. One quarter

of producers had yields less than 0.5

MT, 62% had yields of 0.5 – 1.0 MT and

only 13% had yields of 1.0 - 1.5 MT.

Field survey data are also collected

on cardamom production and

assembling costs, which totalled an

estimated 941 Rp (US$ 12.5) per kg.

This can be broken down into:

1. Farmer/grower costs estimated at

775 Rp/kg, of which labour

accounts for 500 Rp/kg, processing

costs 125 Rp/kg and other input

costs at 100 Rp/kg. The average

26

WORLD

price is 830 Rp/kg.

2. Local trader and wholesaler

assembling costs add a further 47

Rp/kg and 37 Rp/kg respectively.

Cardamom cultivation not only has a

great impact by providing employment

and income-earning opportunities but

also the plantations attract tourists

and can give further earnings to

the growers. In addition, cardamom

exports make a considerable

contribution to Indian export earnings,

although as the table illustrates, both

the volume and value of exports have

shown wide annual fluctuation.

INDIA: CARDAMOM EXPORTS 2016-17 TO 2020-21

SOURCE: SPICES BOARD OF INDIA

(Quantity: Tonnes & Value Rupees. Millions)

2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20* 2020-21*

QTY VALUE QTY VALUE QTY VALUE QTY VALUE QTY VALUE


Cardamom 3,850 4,215 5,680 6,090.8 2,850 3,562.5 1,850 4,253.7 6,500 11,067.5

(Small)

Cardamom 780 826.5 760 564.66 860 610.6 1,310 709 1,325 912.6

(Large)

CHALLENGES AND

SUSTAINABILITY

The F&F sector is making serious

efforts to implement sustainable

practices when sourcing natural

ingredients – and cardamom is no

exception. In Guatemala and India

efforts are being made to implement

sustainable and traceability practices

to try to ensure a fair and transparent

relationship with the producers

alongside efforts to protect the

environment and its biodiversity.

The cardamom sector faces many

challenges which vary between the

two major producing countries. The

challenges include:

• Price volatility – cardamom is sold

predominantly as a spice which

limits the ability to limit price

fluctuations.

• Dependence on many

intermediaries, particularly in

Guatemala, leading to a long value

chain and substantially reducing

transparency and traceability.

• Issues of low production yields and

quality in part due to diseases such

as thrips which lower the quality of

the seeds.

• Use of forbidden chemicals

leading to pesticide residues on the

cardamom pods.

• Location of dehydration ovens

– often a long distance from

cooperatives.

• End use companies are increasingly

requiring traceability for their

ingredients. The long supply

chain in Guatemala involving many

intermediaries (“coyotes”) makes

implementing increasing client

demands for traceability more

difficult. There are often many

intermediaries both for green and

dried cardamom, making it difficult

to track the product, especially

when dealing with very small lots of

a few kgs. In addition, intermediaries

are often reluctant to divulge their

sources. To try to overcome this

some companies try to incorporate

intermediaries in their supply chain

to facilitate greater traceability and

transparency.

Other actions being adopted in an

effort to overcome these challenges

include:

• Giving technical assistance

at source to facilitate better

practices and higher yields, along

with improved quality and fewer

pesticides.

• Integrating intermediaries as

part of the value chain, thus raising

transparency, and helping to

integrate the local actors and make

monitoring and traceability easier to

establish.

• Introduction of efficient ovens

operated directly by grower

cooperatives or the establishment

of ovens in distant regions close

to producers so that there are

fewer intermediaries involved. This

keeps the value of drying within

local communities and helps

strengthen the cooperatives and

cardamom production.

• Price volatility can be limited by

being within proximity of

producers and the implementation

of sustainable value chains.

• Most cardamom is grown under

some form of cover but if grown

under full exposure to the sun

there can be issues of deforestation

and biodiversity. In some areas of

Guatemala trees are being added

over the production site to

encourage forestation and

biodiversity.

• Most Guatemalan cardamom

production is integrated into the

forest and the day-to-day living of

the people as well as protecting the

biodiversity.

• Following processing the waste

products are utilised for a variety of

purposes including sources of

energy for the boilers and as

manure.

Pests and diseases

In both Guatemala and India pests

and diseases are a major problem

for cardamom. In Guatemala thrips

(Liothrips vaneeckei, Frankliniella

occidentales, Thrips palmi) damage

around 20% of the total harvest. Thrips

stop the seed maturing and damage

the husks, producing small pods

which are difficult to sell in the spice

market.

WORLD 27

The use of insecticides among a

few producers around Guatemala

and India has resulted in traces of

chemicals in the final product, but also

the interruption of the reproduction

cycles of pollinating insects. However,

given the extent of the cardamom

production, most batches are

compliant with pesticide limits, even if

it is better to test systematically.

Training needs to be implemented

at the source, including regulation of

shade, pruning, cleaning of the crop

and the use of biological controllers

to regulate the management of the

thrips in a more agro-ecological way.

However, in India pesticide residue is a

major problem and limits the meeting

of the regulatory requirements. The

regulations are becoming more

demanding with reduced levels of

PPM (parts per million) requirements.

CONCLUSIONS

Cardamom is the black seed

contained in the capsular green

fruit of the plant E. cardamomum,

known as small cardamom. It is one

of the world’s most valuable spices

with recent annual export value in

excess of US$ 1.0 billion. Production

is dominated by two countries,

Guatemala and India, although

several other tropical countries

produce both small cardamom and

the larger cardamom (from Amomum

and Aframomum species). Over

the past few decades, the trend in

production is upwards and current

annual production of small cardamom

exceeds 55,000 MT, with Guatemala

accounting for approximately 60%.

Almost all Guatemala production

is exported, but India consumes a

sizable proportion domestically.

Cardamom is used in both flavours

(c. 60%), especially beverages, and

fragrances (c. 30%) with small but

growing quantities in aromatherapy.

It is primarily consumed as a spice,

while cardamom oil output is small.

Estimated annual oil production in

Guatemala is between 30 - 35 MT and

in India production is around 35 - 40

MT. There is negligible distillation

in cardamom importing countries.

Small quantities of expensive CO2

extract are also produced. The crop

is produced by smallholders on small

plots of land ranging from 0.5 ha to 5

ha. The crop is vital to the livelihoods

of many hundreds of thousands

of people: there are an estimated

350,000 smallholder producers of

cardamom in Guatemala and some

50,000 in India. In addition, there

are many thousands working in the

cardamom supply chains: collectors,

traders, warehouse keepers, distillers,

input and packaging suppliers,

farmers’ groups, transport agents,

auctioneers, exporters etc.

The cardamom sectors in both

Guatemala and India face many

challenges: price volatility, pests

and diseases, pesticide residues,

long supply chains, issues relating to

quality and yields. In both countries

considerable efforts are being made

to overcome these challenges,

including technical support and

processing improvements. In

addition, efforts continue to protect

the environment and its biodiversity

including implementing sustainable

and traceability practices to try

to ensure a fair and transparent

relationship with the producers,

many tens of thousands of whom are

dependent on cardamom for their

livelihoods.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aragon, Elisa (2021) Guatemala

Cardamom Session, presentation

at IFEAT Online Conference 9-10

November 2021.

Bernard P. Champon Sr. (2001) The

Essential Oil Industries of Honduras

and Haiti Paper presented at the IFEAT

2001 International Conference ‘The

Essential Oils of South and Central

America’; Buenos Aires, Argentina;

11-15 Nov. 2001. Pages 91-99 in the

Conference Proceedings.

Distillers United website

http://www.distillersunited.com/

forums/questions-answers/

fractional-distillation/whatprocess-fractional-distillationcedarwood-oil

Dr. M. Shahul Hameedu Supply Chain

Analysis of Cardamom in Kerala

International Journal of Scientific and

Research Publications, Volume 4,

Issue 3, March 2014 1 ISSN

2250-3153. www.ijsrp.org

J.W. Purseglove et al (1981) Spices

Chap 10 Cardamom pp. 581 – 643.

Rajamannar, Mithun Chakravarthy

(2021) Cardamom in India,

presentation at IFEAT Online

Conference 9-10 November 2021.

Spices Board of India, Ministry of

Commerce and Industry http://www.

indianspices.com/

Sri Lanka Ministry of Development of

Minor Crops and Export Promotion

http://www.dea.gov.lk/cardamom/

Vettorazzi, Cesar (2001) The Essential

Oils Industry of Guatemala Paper

presented at the IFEAT 2001

International Conference ‘The

Essential Oils of South and Central

America’; Buenos Aires, Argentina;

11-15 Nov. 2001. Pages 86–90 in the

Conference Proceedings.

1 This article is based partly on

the Cardamom Session held at

IFEAT’s Online Conference 9th

- 10th November 2021. Alongside

presentations from Elisa

Aragon and Mithun Chakravarthy

Rajamannar, the two other

presenters, Jill Costa and John

Wright, discussed the fragrance

and flavour aspects of cardamom

respectively.

2 Elisa Aragon, CEO, Nelixia,

Guatemala

3 Peter Greenhalgh, IFEAT

Consultant

4 Mithun Chakravarthy Rajamannar,

Director, Cardamom Products P.

Ltd., India


Rosa damascena

The family-owned flavor and fragrance ingredient source since 1949.

+1 973 748 8980 • www.berjeinc.com

WORLD 29

IFEAT IS BUILDING A

POWERFUL NETWORK

OF EXPERTISE: THE

IFEAT PANEL OF

EXPERTS

Alongside the Executive Committee,

IFEAT is building a unique network

of pro bono experts from all regions

of the world to form the IFEAT Panel

of Experts. These individuals have

committed their careers to being

actively engaged in the essential oils

(EO) and associated natural complex

substance (NCS) industries, especially

in relation to their application in the

areas of flavours, fragrance, food and

feed, cosmetics, and aromatherapy.

Each expert also has decades of

experience in the F&F industry.

IFEAT IS AT THE CENTRE

OF A HUGE NETWORK

COVERING MOST F&F

INGREDIENTS

IFEAT has a large reach in terms

of people and activities related to

the world of flavour and fragrance

ingredients - in particular ingredients

derived from nature.

CAREFULLY

BROADENING IFEAT

PANEL OF EXPERTS

IFEAT is about passion, commitment

and results, and regularly engages

its team of international experts

to accomplish projects that are

beneficial to our industry.

CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE PANEL OF EXPERTS

(in alphabetical order):

If you have a profound attachment

with our industry, along with at

least 20 years of expertise, and the

desire to work on a pro bono basis

with a team of like-minded experts

from IFEAT, then we welcome you

to contact us for further discussion.

Hopefully you will meet the necessary

criteria to join our select IFEAT

Panel of Experts. IFEAT screens all

candidates according to requirements

through a thorough process which

has the merit to be very selective and

based on evolving needs.

For more information, please contact:

secretariat@ifeat.org

IFEAT PANEL OF EXPERTS

Dr. Ahmed Ali Dr. Wladyslaw S. Brud Mr. Francis Chagnaud Dr. Christopher Choi Prof. Dr. Agnieszka

Ludwiczuk

Mr. Ramkumar Menon Ms. Dorene Petersen Mr. Stephen Pisano Mr. Ravi Sanganeria Prof. Dr. Krzysztof

Śmigielski

Prof. Dr. Daniel Strub Mr. Robert Tisserand Mrs. Winnie Yeung

30

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MY FAVOURITE

LEMON

FROM THE GROUND

TO THE TABLE

BY JOHN L. CAVALLO, PH.D.

CITROMAX GROUP

MY FAVOURITE • LEMON

INTRODUCTION

If you enjoy the crisp refreshing taste

of a cold lemonade beverage, or

the refreshing taste of carbonated

water with a wedge of a crisp citrus

fruit added, or that twist of lemon in

the martini you enjoy before dinner,

then you are probably a consumer

who loves the refreshing taste that

lemon has to offer. Whether it is a

wedge of the fresh fruit added to your

favourite drink, its juice squeezed

and added on top of your favourite

food as a complement to enhance

the taste, its pulp or rind used in a

cooking or baking recipe, lemon offers

a universally accepted great taste that

is loved worldwide.

As a dedicated consumer of

lemons, I appreciate not only the

great refreshing taste of lemon, but

also how the farming, harvesting,

and processing of lemons helps to

support and provide a livelihood for

the thousands of workers involved in

making lemons available within the

marketplace.

The lemon (Citrus limon) grows on

flowering trees and is a member of

the Rutaceae family, with possible

origin and native to Northern India,

Asia, Northern Myanmar, and China.

Citrus plants constitute the main

source of essential oils used in foods

and beverages throughout the world.

The use of lemon dates to early times

when the plant was first cultivated in

middle eastern gardens as flowering

fruit-bearing trees, to a point in time

when one realised its juice could also

be enjoyed, and in the 18th century,

lemonade was introduced to the

Americas as a refreshing medicinal

drink believed to have many health

benefits. The tart, crisp, refreshing

taste of lemon is the result of the 5 -

7% lemon juice content present in the

fresh fruit and its citric acid content

which provides a natural low pH of

about 2.1 – 2.3. The combination of

the high aroma of lemon and its tart

taste produces the mouthwatering

effect one senses when the fresh fruit

is squeezed and its juice consumed.

LEMON USAGE

When one evaluates the use of

lemons, whether it be fresh fruit

or use of its by-products, it is fair

to say, “there is very little waste”.

Lemons have a variety of uses, but it

is mainly the lemon oil and juice that

find a home in food and beverage

applications. Except for Sfusato

WORLD 31

(Peretto) lemons grown in the Amalfi

region of Italy, lemons are rarely eaten

solely as a fresh fruit. Amalfi lemons

are unique and have an ellipticalelongated

shape and are light-yellow

in colour. The Amalfi lemon is highly

aromatic and high in essential oil and

terpenes. Its pulp is juicy, moderately

acidic, contains few seeds, is

somewhat large in size, and is rich in

vitamin C. The sweet-tasting Peretto

lemon is sometimes cut up, topped

with olive oil and salt, and eaten as a

nice refreshing salad. On a trip to the

Italian coast area a few years ago, I

was surprised when offered a lemon

salad dish. Frankly, I had never heard

of this before and was pleasantly

surprised when the dish was brought

out with the sliced lemons beautifully

presented on a white and yellow

platter. The combination of the lemon

juice and olive oil was simply an

amazing taste.

At home, the most common use for

lemons is to squeeze the fruit for

its juice content providing a highly

aromatic fresh scent, or a tart taste,

to a food or beverage. The pleasant

aroma of lemon provides all those

who happen to smell this refreshing

aroma a sense of refreshment and

cleanliness.

Lemon juice was once used to treat

scurvy prior to the identification of

vitamin C as a common cure for the

disease. Due to its ability to build

collagen, it has been in use for many

years for health improvement. It

has also been used as a traditional

treatment for blood pressure

control and for the common cold,

and coughs. In today’s market,

lemon juice finds a new use when

paired with sugar, or non-calorific

sweeteners, in the preparation

of lemonade, as well as for other

consumer goods products ranging

from soft drinks, sport and energy

drinks, flavoured iced teas, and in

both high and low alcohol cocktails.

Lemon simply adds the refreshing

taste loved by consumers.

In other parts of the world, lemon

juice is used as a food preservative,

specifically for foods that have a

tendency for short-term oxidation/

browning. In such cases, lemon juice

is sprinkled onto the food to prevent

enzymatic oxidation. Currently lemon

juice can also be used in the canning

industry to add flavour and to reduce

browning. Due to the high citric acid

content of lemon juice, it has also

been shown to extend the freshness

of baked goods and its possibility

to function as a replacement for

conventional citric acid has been

evaluated. Although the replacement

of conventional citric acid may be a

long-term wish, it is well known that

short-term shelf-life benefits can be

observed for certain fresh fruits and

vegetables with the addition of lemon

juice. Nevertheless, lemon juice alone

is not sufficient to provide extended

protection. In today’s market, “natural”

food options are a key consumer

driver, and it is a valuable initiative to

look for wholesome food ingredient

alternatives.

From a health standpoint, citric acid

is an important acid that is beneficial

due to its antioxidant properties

and offers protection against “free

radicals” along with improving heart

and skin health. Citric acid has also

been associated with improving other

important biological activities. In

addition, citric acid can help people

with low urinary citrate, as citrate can

help inhibit kidney stone formation by

preventing crystallisation of calcium

and oxalate, common to most kidney

stones. People with low urinary citric

acid are encouraged to consume

lemon juice and/or lemonade drinks.

LEMON OIL AND

BY-PRODUCTS

If you have ever cut into or “zested”

a lemon, you may have seen a small

amount of oil spray out from the

peel, or you may have felt a slight oily

feeling on your hands. In its simplest

term, this is an example of “cold

pressed” lemon oil. Cold pressed

lemon oil has a very different colour,

aroma, and taste profile than lemon

oil which is “distilled” from the peel.

Cold pressed lemon oil has many food

and beverage applications, ranging

from additives to soft drinks, alcoholic

beverages (limoncello, a traditional

Italian liqueur), ingredients for

fragrance formulations, and skincare

applications. More recently, lemon oil

has been used as an aroma enhancer

for aromatherapy applications.


32

WORLD

Whether the lemon oil is delivered

through atomisers or candles, the

aroma is pleasant and relaxing.

Lemon oil is rich in very important

natural organic compounds

providing high biological activity.

The oil contains many phenolic

compounds and other flavonoids

providing many health benefits. The

oil is rich in D-limonene, β-pinene

and γ-terpinene, materials with

therapeutic functionality, such as

anti-inflammatory, pain relief, memory

enhancement, reducing bacteria

and virus propagation, antioxidant

properties, disease prevention, stress

relief, and a host of other benefits.

The actual lemon peel is an

ingredient that finds its home in

a specialised industry dedicated

to pectin extraction. Pectin is an

ingredient used in the manufacture of

candies, desserts, and certain types

of mouthfeel enhanced beverages

popular in certain markets around

the world. The lemon pulp is another

important ingredient used in certain

beverages where opaqueness and

enhanced mouthfeel is desired.

LEMON OIL

COMPOSITION –

FROM ORGANOLEPTIC

TO HEALTH

The composition of lemon oil has

been thoroughly studied and reported

on for many years. The excellent

work carried out by past and present

researchers has led to the thorough

elucidation on the critically important

aroma chemicals found in lemon

oil that provide lemon oil with its

characteristic taste and aroma

attributes. The simplest segmentation

of the components found in lemon

oil can be divided into volatile and

non-volatile components. Some of

the volatile components are the main

constituents of lemon aroma and

taste. The volatile components are

mostly related to the “top notes” of

lemon oil, the high aroma contributing

attributes one quickly perceives

when you smell and/or taste lemon

oil. The non-volatile materials can

be classified as those components

contributing to the “back-end” notes

that provide lemon oil with its deep

taste characteristics and mouthfeel

enhancement properties, the

attributes consumers perceive upon

tasting or smelling the oil.

Lastly, one may consider and

highlight the healthy aspects and

ingredients present in lemon. In this


WORLD 33

case, the juice, peel, pulp cells, and

fruit are a class of compounds which

includes flavonoids, plant metabolites

containing phenolic structures, which

are naturally occurring materials

normally found in plant tissue in

the form of sugar conjugates. The

flavonoid glycosides are found in

lemon at a significant level and

include flavonones, such as hesperidin,

naringin, and eriocitrin; flavones, such

as diosmetin, luteolin, apigenin; and

flavonols, such as quercertin. These

nutraceutical ingredients have great

value in the supplement industry.

Recent studies have shown their

health benefits for lowering the risk

of cancer, inflammation reduction,

and protection against other chronic

diseases.

With the well accepted taste and

aroma of lemon and the powerful

natural aroma chemicals and

antioxidants present, it’s no wonder

that foods and beverages containing

lemon are enjoyed around the world

not only for their great taste, but also

for the many potential health benefits.

Lemon is enjoyed worldwide as both

a healthy natural product and as a

mainstream therapeutic remedy. A

significant portion of these “illnessfighters”

have been identified,

isolated, and evaluated from both the

volatile and non-volatile fractions of

lemon oil and there is no doubt that

additional research on these natural

materials will continue in the future.

It is clear to see that lemons are

a fruit recognised and enjoyed by

worldwide consumers. Whether

lemons are used for the oil from their

peel in the preparation of beverages,

flavourings, cosmetic applications,

or its holistic use in aromatherapy, its

juice in the preparation of beverages

or its use as a condiment for foods,

the use of its peel constituents in food

applications, or the enjoyment of the

fresh fruit, lemons bring pleasure to

the consumer.

When one thinks of lemons,

one usually thinks of freshness,

wholesomeness, refreshing, and

clean tasting. It’s a taste and aroma

recognised from childhood and not

forgotten.

Lemon, the fruit loved by consumers

from the ground up!

For more information on lemon see

IFEAT Socio-Economic Report on

Lemon, IFEATWORLD 2021

September 2021 pp. 14-30


LEMON, THE FRUIT GLOBALLY

ENJOYED BRINGS A SMILE TO

THE FACE OF CLAIRE LIN,

GENERAL MANAGER, CITROMAX

INGREDIENTS (SHANGHAI), CO., LTD.

during a visit to our lemon orchards

in Tucuman, Argentina.

34

WORLD

IN THE NEWS

VALUING OUR ‘SCENTS’

OF IDENTITY

UK-WIDE SURVEY GIVES UNIQUE INSIGHTS

INTO UK’S SENSE OF SMELL

The International Fragrance Association UK (IFRA UK) has

undertaken a recent YouGov survey to take an in-depth look

at the UK’s sense of smell and how much we value it.

The survey showed that less than one percent of UK adults

will acknowledge having no sense of smell, with women

more likely than men to say their sense of smell is excellent.

It also revealed that over half of UK adults (55%) say they

notice the smell of things five or more times a day and

almost two thirds (64%) say they can imagine particular

smells well, such as cut grass, fresh laundry, and fried

onions. Almost half the population (49%) notice the scents

of friends or relatives, and over two thirds (71%) of the

population notice the smell of places they visit regularly,

such as museums, holiday spots or churches.

The survey revealed that for 60% of UK adults the main

feeling evoked by their sense of smell is nostalgia. Much

of that sense of comfort and sentimentality is connected

to food - almost a third of UK adults (32%) appreciate their

sense of smell because it helps sharpen their appetite. When

asked what childhood smells they remember, responses

included ‘freshly mown grass’; ‘cakes baking’; ‘the smell

of rain’; ‘melting Tarmac’; ‘Sunday roast cooking’ and even

‘school dinners!’ When asked what smells they no longer

encounter and miss, many responses were linked to food and

home comforts, including ‘grandparents cooking’; ‘grandma’s

kitchen’; ‘my mum’s face cream’ and ‘grandad’s shed’.

The YouGov survey was conducted on behalf of the

International Fragrance Association UK (IFRA UK).

WORLD 35

CALL FOR SUBMISSION

OF PAPERS

BERLIN

CONFERENCE DATES

IFEAT is inviting submissions for speakers and workshop/

masterclass leaders for the Berlin Conference which

will take place from 8th to 12th October 2023 at the

InterContinental Hotel.

The speaker programme will once again run during each

of the four mornings from Monday to Thursday between

9:00 am and 12 noon.

The theme for Berlin in 2023 is Trade. Tradition. Modern

Spirit.

Some of the things we want to discuss are old trade

channels in contrast with the new silk road, traditional

products but with new applications. For example,

historical rose oil but evaluated with modern analytical

methods, and of course much more.

Of specific interest are topics or new developments

regarding:

• Aromatic agricultural practice: developments and

challenges, past, present, future; organic farming with a

focus on organic production, pesticides, and markets.

• Essential oils: developments, emerging markets,

production and fields of application.

• Legislative and regulatory developments; e.g. newest

developments in the implementation of the EU Green

Deal, Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) and

Farm to Fork Strategy.

• Sustainability initiatives, best practices and lessons

learnt.

• Aroma chemicals and developments/aspects of the

German F&F industry, as well as natural chemicals in

Europe.

• Biotech developments and issues.

• Aromatherapy and science.

• Crop/market reports.

For more information and to download the Call for Papers

form for submission, please visit the page on the IFEAT

website at: https://bit.ly/3zJ3NJG

Unfortunately the timing of the 2023 Anuga Trade Fair

clashes with our own 2023 Berlin Conference.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to postpone

the Berlin Conference planned for 2020 and had to

reschedule it again in 2021. However, the chosen venue

only had availability from 8th to 12th October 2023 and

we had no choice but to take these dates due to our

financial commitment as otherwise we stood to lose

the large deposits we had invested in securing the

venue for the event.

For each Conference, IFEAT chooses the dates carefully

and endeavours to schedule them so they do not

coincide with religious holidays, larger industry events,

and other important dates.

Unfortunately, the dates we had to take for the 2023

Conference do coincide with the Anuga Trade Fair,

therefore the situation is beyond our control.

We hope you will still be able to join us in Berlin!

IFEAT 2023 BERLIN CONFERENCE

NEW IFEAT MEMBERS

Below is a list of new IFEAT Members

who had joined by 1st December 2022

Ascent Finechem Pvt. Ltd.

Prem Nagar Industrial Estate, Kanth Road, Moradabad, UP, 244001, India

Contact: Ms Anmol Jain

Email: anmol@ascentfinechem.com

Web: www.ascentfinechem.com

Ascent Finechem is an Indian manufacturer and exporter of fine and specialty

chemicals, specialising in para anisic aldehyde and derivatives.

Chemsynergy

1100 Burloak Drive, Suite 101, Burlington ON, L7L 6B2, Canada

Contact: Ms Allison Pearce

Email: allison@chemsynergyinc.com

Web: www.chemsynergyinc.com

Chemsynergy Inc. is a chemical distribution company that strives to deliver quality

products at competitive prices while providing outstanding customer service.

Fontaine Group/Creed

20 Farringdon Street, London, EC4A 4AB, UK

Contact: Ms Roser Ruiz

Email: roser.ruiz@fragrances-production.fr

Contact: Ms Vincyane Monnerot

Email: Vincyane.Monnerot@fontainegroup.com

Web: www.creedfragrance.com

A fragrance company using the finest raw materials to produce niche perfumes.

The company was established in 1760 in London by Creed’s family and the business

passed from fathers to sons. Currently the company belongs to BlackRock group

and sells its fragrances to 90 countries.

Orlife Global İç Ve Diş Ticaret Anonim Şirketi

Halil Rifat Paşa Mah. Nazli Sokak Birinci Apt. No: 1-5 Kat: 2,

Ofis: 18 P.k.: 34384 Şişli/istanbul, Turkey

Contact: Mr. B. Zafer Özgünay

Email: zaferozgunay@orlifeglobal.com

Web: https://www.orlifeglobal.com/en

Orlife Global is a strong and reliable company in the essential and fixed oil sector,

which was established with domestic capital. The company has adopted the

principle of “quality first” at the beginning of its journey and continues on its way

without compromising this principle.

Younis Aroma

Airport Road, Bosaso, Puntland, State of Somalia

Contact: Dr. Mohamed Abdinasir Hagi

Email: info@younisaroma.com

hagi@younisaroma.com

Web: https://younisaroma.com

Younis Aroma is proud to offer its customers pure essential oils, sourced straight

from the Puntland, the natural habitat historically known as the “Land of Aroma”,

where frankincense and other related rare species grow.

THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF

ESSENTIAL OILS AND AROMA TRADES LIMITED

IFEAT c/o TC Group, Level 1, Devonshire House,

One Mayfair Place, London W1J 8AJ

T: +44 (0) 1707 245862 | E: secretariat@ifeat.org

www.ifeat.org | www.facebook.com/IFEAT.ORG

Editorial & Advertising enquiries: Tina Hotchin. E: ifeatworld@ifeat.org

Registered in England & Wales with liability limited by guarantee

under Company no. 01369368. © IFEAT. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be copied, stored, published or in

any way reproduced without the prior written consent of IFEAT.

Companies are reminded that the IFEAT logo can only be used

(on websites and email signatures) by fully paid-up IFEAT Members.

A Fitzpatrick Design

IFEATWORLD is printed by the Pureprint Group

on sustainably sourced paper certified by FSC ®

and Carbon Balanced with the World Land Trust

IFEATWORLD December 2022

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