Castoreum is a yellowish

exudate An exudate is a fluid emitted by an organism through pores or a wound, a process known as exuding or exudation. ''Exudate'' is derived from ''exude'' 'to ooze' from Latin ''exsūdāre'' 'to (ooze out) sweat' (''ex-'' 'out' and ''sūdāre'' 'to ...

from the castor sacs of mature

beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

s. Beavers use castoreum in combination with urine to

scent mark In ethology, territory is the sociographical area that an animal consistently defends against conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against animals of other species) using agonistic behaviors or (less commonly) real physical aggression. A ...

their territory. Both beaver sexes have a pair of castor sacs and a pair of anal glands, located in two cavities under the skin between the pelvis and the base of the tail. The castor sacs are not true glands (

endocrine The endocrine system is a messenger system comprising feedback loops of the hormones released by internal glands of an organism directly into the circulatory system, regulating distant target organs. In vertebrates, the hypothalamus is the neu ...

or exocrine) on a cellular level, hence references to these structures as

preputial glands Preputial glands are exocrine glands that are located in the folds of skin front of the genitals of some mammals. They occur in several species, including mice, ferrets, rhinoceroses, and even-toed ungulates and produce pheromones. The glands pla ...

, castor glands, or

scent glands Scent gland are exocrine glands found in most mammals. They produce semi-viscous secretions which contain pheromones and other semiochemical compounds. These odor-messengers indicate information such as status, territorial marking, mood, and sexu ...

are misnomers. It is used as a tincture in some perfumesInternational Perfume Museum, Grasse, France, Website: and was sometimes used as a

food additive Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. Some additives have been used for centuries as part of an effort to preserve food, for example vinegar (pickling), salt (salt ...

in the early 1900s. The sacs brought per ounce when auctioned at the May–June 2016 North American Fur Auction.

Chemical composition

At least 24 compounds are known constituents of beaver castoreum. Several of these have pheromonal activity, of which the phenols

4-ethylphenol Ethylphenol (4-EP) is an organic compound with the formula C2H5C6H4OH. It is one of three isomeric ethylphenols. A white solid, it occurs as an impurity in xylenols and as such is used in the production of some commercial phenolic resins. It is ...

and catechol and the

ketone In organic chemistry, a ketone is a functional group with the structure R–C(=O)–R', where R and R' can be a variety of carbon-containing substituents. Ketones contain a carbonyl group –C(=O)– (which contains a carbon-oxygen double bo ...

s acetophenone and 3-hydroxyacetophenone were strongest. Five additional compounds elicit a weaker response: 4-methylcatechol,

4-methoxyacetophenone Acetanisole is an aromatic chemical compound with an aroma described as sweet, fruity, nutty, and similar to vanilla. In addition Acetanisole can sometimes smell like butter or caramel. Acetanisole is found naturally in castoreum, the glandula ...

, 5-methoxysalicylic acid, salicylaldehyde, and 3-hydroxybenzoic acid. There are also oxygen-containing monoterpenes such as 6-methyl-l-heptanol, 4,6-dimethyl-l-heptanol, isopinocamphone, pinocamphone, and two linalool oxides and their

acetate An acetate is a salt (chemistry), salt formed by the combination of acetic acid with a base (e.g. Alkali metal, alkaline, Alkaline earth metal, earthy, Transition metal, metallic, nonmetallic or radical Radical (chemistry), base). "Acetate" als ...

s. Other compounds are: benzoic acid, benzyl alcohol,

borneol Borneol is a bicyclic organic compound and a terpene derivative. The hydroxyl group in this compound is placed in an '' endo'' position. The exo diastereomer is called isoborneol. Being chiral, borneol exists as enantiomers, both of which are foun ...

, ''o''-cresol,

4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone A coxless four is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars, without a coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each having one oar. There are two rowers on ...

, hydroquinone, phenol. All those compounds are gathered from plant food. It also contains

nupharamine Nupharamine is an alkaloid found in ''Nuphar japonica'' and in castoreum. ''Nuphar japonica'' contains nupharamine, and methyl and ethyl esters of nupharamine. References

3-Furyl compounds Piperidine alkaloids Tertiary alcohols {{alkaloi ...

alkaloids and

castoramine Castoramine is an alkaloid found in castoreum Castoreum is a yellowish exudate from the castor sacs of mature beavers. Beavers use castoreum in combination with urine to scent mark their territory. Both beaver sexes have a pair of castor sacs an ...

, and ''cis''-

cyclohexane-1,2-diol Cyclohexane-1,2-diol is a chemical compound found in castoreum Castoreum is a yellowish exudate from the castor sacs of mature beavers. Beavers use castoreum in combination with urine to scent mark their territory. Both beaver sexes have a pair o ...

Uses

In perfume

perfumery Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...

, the term castoreum refers to the resinoid extract resulting from the dried and alcohol tinctured beaver castor. The dried beaver castor sacs are generally aged for two or more years to mellow. Castoreum is largely used for its note suggesting leather, typically compounded with other ingredients including top, middle, and base notes. Some classic perfumes incorporating castor are Emeraude,

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...

Antaeus, Cuir de Russie, Magie Noire, Lancôme Caractère, Hechter Madame, Givenchy III,

Shalimar Shalimar or Shalamar refers to three historic royal gardens (or Baghs) of the Mughal Empire in South Asia: * Shalimar Bagh, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India; built in 1619 * Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan; a UNESCO World Heritage Site built i ...

, and many "leather" themed compositions.

In food

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration lists castoreum extract as a generally recognized as safe (GRAS)

. In 1965, the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association's GRAS program (FEMA 2261 and 2262) added castoreum extract and castoreum liquid. The annual industry consumption is very low, around 300 pounds, whereas vanillin is over 2.6 million pounds annually. Castoreum has been traditionally used in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

for flavoring a variety of schnapps commonly referred to as "Bäverhojt" (literally, ''beaver shout'').

Other

Castoreum was also considered for use to contribute to the flavor and odor of

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...

s.
United States Patent Application Publication Medieval Beekeeping, beekeepers used castoreum to increase

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

production.''The Beaver: Its Life and Impact''. Dietland Muller-Schwarze, 2003, page 43
book at Google Books

Related animal products

* Taxea, a secretion of the badger's subcaudal glands comparable in its medicinal use to the better-known castoreum * Hyraceum, the petrified and rock-like excrement composed of urine and feces excreted by the Cape hyrax (''Procavia capensis''), and a sought-after material that has been used in traditional South African medicine and perfumery

References

External links

The International Perfume Museum: Castoreum
{{Ancient anaesthesia-footer Animal glandular products Beavers