Perillaldehyde, perillic aldehyde or perilla aldehyde, is a natural

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 carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. Th ...

found most abundantly in the annual herb

perilla ''Perilla'' is a genus consisting of one major Asiatic crop species ''Perilla frutescens'' and a few wild species in nature belonging to the mint family, Lamiaceae. The genus encompasses several distinct varieties of Asian herb, seed, and veget ...

, but also in a wide variety of other plants and essential oils. It is a

monoterpenoid Monoterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of two isoprene units and have the molecular formula C10H16. Monoterpenes may be linear (acyclic) or contain rings (monocyclic and bicyclic). Modified terpenes, such as those containing oxygen funct ...

containing an

aldehyde In organic chemistry, an aldehyde () is an organic compound containing a functional group with the structure . The functional group itself (without the "R" side chain) can be referred to as an aldehyde but can also be classified as a formyl gro ...

functional group. Perillaldehyde, or volatile oils from perilla that are rich in perillaldehyde, are used as

food additive Food additives are substances added to food to preserve Taste, 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), sal ...

s for flavoring and in perfumery to add spiciness. Perillaldehyde can be readily converted to

perilla alcohol Perillyl alcohol (IUPAC name: -(prop-1-en-2-yl)cyclohex-1-en-1-ylethanol) and its precursor limonene are naturally occurring monocyclic terpenes derived from the mevalonate pathway in plants. Perillyl alcohol can be found in the essential oils of ...

, which is also used in perfumery. It has a mint-like, cinnamon odor and is primarily responsible for the flavor of perilla. The oxime of perillaldehyde is known as perillartine or ''perilla sugar'' and is about 2000 times sweeter than sucrose and is used in Japan as a

sweetener {{Wiktionary, sweetener A sweetener is a substance added to food or drink to impart the flavor of sweetness, either because it contains a type of sugar, or because it contains a sweet-tasting sugar substitute. Many artificial sweeteners have been ...

. It is presented in lower concentrations in the body odor of persons suffering from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms beco ...

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*{{Commonscatinline Aldehydes Food additives Perfume ingredients Sugar substitutes Monoterpenes Cyclohexenes