How much do you know about cinnamaldehyde, which is widely used?

2020-05-26

Cinnamaldehyde (Cinnamaldehyde), also known as cinnamaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde and phenylacrolein, has a strong special smell of cinnamon oil and burning aroma. Cinnamaldehyde is an aldehyde organic compound, which is colorless or yellowish or greenish yellow oily liquid, and exists in a large amount in plants such as cinnamon.

Cinnamon is a warm spice. We often associate it with baking in winter and holiday. Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of cinnamon tree. Cinnamomum cassia is evergreen all the year round, with elliptical leaves, thick bark, and small and round berries. Although there are many kinds of cinnamon trees, only five are commercially grown, and their texture and aroma are slightly different. Your cinnamon may come from China or Indonesia – they produce most of the world's cinnamon. The unique smell and taste of cinnamon comes from its essence oil, cinnamaldehyde and other ingredients.
The harvest of cinnamon is a long process: after the seeds are planted, the cinnamon tree grows for about two years, and then is trimmed into stumps. The next year, dozens of new buds will grow on the side of the stump. Then, these twigs are cut and processed quickly when the inner bark is still wet. Peel off the outer skin, and then use a hammer to loosen the inner skin and cut it into a meter long strip. These strips dry in four to six hours and then curl up. Then, they are cut into small pieces and become cinnamon sticks that we recognize and like to use to flavor hot drinks, or ground for baking.
Due to the high price and many extracted components of natural cinnamaldehyde, we usually use chemical synthesis methods to prepare cinnamaldehyde in practical applications. In industry, the main method of preparing cinnamaldehyde is condensation of benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde in the presence of dilute alkali.
Cinnamaldehyde is widely used in spices, pharmaceuticals, daily chemicals, feed, paper making and food processing. Here are some examples of the application of cinnamaldehyde in our daily life.
Cinnamaldehyde is used as a essence. Cinnamaldehyde has a good function of holding fragrance, and it can make the main flavor more fragrant when used as a flavoring material in flavoring. Because its boiling point is higher than that of other organic compounds with comparable molecular weight, it can also be used as a fixing agent. For example, cinnamaldehyde can be used in soap essence to prepare essence such as narcissus gardenia, jasmine lily of valley rose, etc. These essence are widely used in soap, washing powder and shampoo; In food application, cinnamaldehyde can be used to prepare fruit essence such as apples and cherries. These essence can be used in candy ice cream drinks, chewing gum cakes, tobacco, etc.
Cinnamaldehyde is used as a food preservative. As cinnamaldehyde has the functions of preservation, antisepsis and mildew prevention, it is widely used in instant noodles, chewing gum, betel nut and other snack foods and baked foods such as bread, cake and pastry, as a mildew inhibitor for food and a fresh-keeping agent for vegetables. At the same time, it can also change the taste to stimulate consumption.
Cinnamaldehyde is used in oral care products. Cinnamaldehyde can not only be used to modulate various flavors, but also play a dual role in sterilization and deodorization of the oral cavity. It is often used in oral care products such as toothpaste, chewing gum, breath freshener, etc. Chewing gum containing cinnamaldehyde can be used as functional health food. They can have a positive impact on oral hygiene production in a short time. They can not only cover up bad breath, but also really remove the bacteria that cause bad breath. At present, cinnamaldehyde has been used in toothpastes for a long time by toothpaste factories at home and abroad, especially in European and American countries, and the use effect is very good.

Cinnamaldehyde is used in feed. Cinnamaldehyde has a good anti-mildew and bactericidal effect. The feed added with cinnamaldehyde can be stored for a long time without mildew, discoloration and taste; Cinnamaldehyde can strengthen the movement of stomach and intestines, promote the secretion of gastric juice, enhance the digestive function, and then increase the food intake of animals; As a spice, cinnamaldehyde has its own unique flavor that can improve the appetite of animals. The feed added with cinnamaldehyde does not need to add other spices and attractants.
With the deepening of research on cinnamaldehyde by scientific researchers, we will understand the characteristics and value of cinnamaldehyde more and more. It is believed that cinnamaldehyde will be used more and more widely in the future.
reference material:
ZME SCIENCE - The unusual origins of our favorite spices
Baidu Encyclopedia - Cinnamaldehyde
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