Civet (''Zibeth''; ''Zibet''; ''Zibetum''), also known as civet

musk Musk ( Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...

and civet oil, is the glandular secretion produced by both sexes of

Viverridae Viverridae is a family (biology), family of small to medium-sized, feliform mammals. The viverrids () comprise 33 species placed in 14 genera. This family was named and first described by John Edward Gray in 1821. Viverrids occur all over Africa, ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

Production

A number of viverrid species secrete civet oil in their perineal glands, including the

African civet The African civet (''Civettictis civetta'') is a large viverrid native to sub-Saharan Africa, where it is considered common and widely distributed in woodlands and secondary forests. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 200 ...

(''Civettictis civetta''),

large Indian civet The large Indian civet (''Viverra zibetha'') is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The global population is considered decreasing mainly because of trapping-driven declines in heavi ...

(''Viverra zibetha'') and

small Indian civet The small Indian civet (''Viverricula indica'') is a civet native to South and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of its widespread distribution, widespread habitat use and healthy populations living in agr ...

(''Viverricula indica''). Most civet is produced in African farms, where African civets are kept in cages for this purpose. African civets typically produce three to four grams of civet per week. In 2000, civet sold for about five hundred dollars per kilogram. Civet is a soft, almost liquid material. It is pale yellow when fresh, darkening in the light and becoming salve-like in consistency. Its odor is strong, even putrid as a pure substance, but once diluted it is pleasantly and sweetly aromatic. It is prepared for use in perfumery by solvent extraction to yield either a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

(10 or 20 percent), an absolute, or a resinoid.

Composition

The chemical in civet oil that gives it most of its distinctive odor is

civetone Civetone is a macrocyclic ketone and the main odorous constituent of civet oil. It is a pheromone sourced from the African civet. It has a strong musky odor that becomes pleasant at extreme dilutions. Civetone is closely related to muscone, the p ...

, at a concentration of between 2.5 and 3.4%. The oil also includes various other ketones such as cyclopentadecanone,

cyclohexadecanone Cyclohexadecanone is an organic compound with the formula (CH2)15CO. It is a cyclic ketone, which is a minor component of the musk scent of the civet. Several related derivatives are also important in the fragrance industry, especially those wi ...

, cycloheptadecanone, and 6-''cis''-cycloheptadecenone. The animal scent is reinforced by the presence of smaller amounts of

indole Indole is an aromatic heterocyclic organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other c ...

and skatole, which in African civet are present at a concentration of about 1%.

Uses

Civet has a distinctly different odor from

and was formerly a versatile ingredient of fine fragrances. It is being displaced by 5-cyclohexadecen-1-one (ambretone) which is more easily synthesized. Civet absolute ( CAS# 68916-26-7) is used as a flavor and in perfumery.

Safety

The United States does not allow civets to be imported, as the species can transmit the

SARS Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, ''seve ...

virus. The US does however permit the importation of civet oil, as long as it has been treated to ensure it is noninfectious.

Name

The name derives from the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

زباد ''zabād'' or سنور الزباد ''sinnawr al-zabād'', civet cat (''Viverra civetta''), by way of Old Italian ''zibetto'' and

Middle French Middle French (french: moyen français) is a historical division of the French language that covers the period from the 14th to the 16th century. It is a period of transition during which: * the French language became clearly distinguished from ...

''civette''.

History

The 10th-century Arab historian

al-Masudi Al-Mas'udi ( ar, أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن عَلِيّ ٱبْن ٱلْحُسَيْن ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱلْمَسْعُودِيّ, '; –956) was an Arab historian, geographer and traveler. He is sometimes referred to as the "Herodotus ...

mentioned civet (''zabāda'') as a spice in his book ''Murūdj al-dhahab'' ('Meadows of Gold'). Civet was among the many trade items that caravans, controlled by the Ghana empire, carried from the Niger valley to North Africa, including Ancient Egypt.

References

{{reflist, 2 Animal glandular products Flavors Perfume ingredients