Ulje agarovog drveta

Aquilaria is a genus of large evergreens native to Southeast Asia and South Asia, with seventeen species, of which nine are known to produce agar wood. Aquilaria malaccensis, the major source of agarwood, is a tree of the family Thymelaeaceae. The fragrant resin of agarwood forms as the outcome of complex biotic, abiotic and physical stress on Aquilaria trees. In A. malaccensis, the resin is produced by the tree in response to infection by a parasitic ascomycetous mould, Phaeoacremonium parasitica. The unaffected wood of the tree is relatively light in colour. The resin dramatically increases the mass and density of the affected wood and changes its colour from pale beige to yellow, orange, red, dark brown or black. In natural forests, only about 7 out of 100 Aquilaria trees of the same species are infected and produce agar wood.

Until recently agarwood was primarily produced from A. malaccensis, and A. crassna and A. sinensis are the other two members of the genus that are commonly harvested. Gyrinops trees can also produce agarwood. Trade data show that A. crassna, followed by A. malaccensis and A. filaria, were the major species used for oil production over the last 10 years. Infected trees produce resin from the age of 15 years, and trees aged 50 years and more produce the best yields of agarwood.

More than 150 chemical compounds have been identified in agarwood oil, and its composition is exceedingly complex. The main chemical constituents of agarwood are sesquiterpenes and chromones. The major constituents of agarwood oil are sesquiterpenes, whose chemical structure makes them very difficult, and hence extremely expensive, to synthesize. Among the most prominent groups of compounds in agarwood are agarofurans, cadinanes, eudesmanes, valencanes, guaianes, prezizanes, vetispiranes and 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones. Among the chromones of agarwood, 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones are currently the most commonly isolated types. Jinkoh-eremol, jinkohol and jinkohol II are sesquiterpene alcohols discovered in an agarwood, most likely from A. malaccensis. In oil from Aquilaria subintegra, β-agarofuran, α-eudesmol, karanone, α-agarofuran and agarospirol were major components in most of the incubated samples.

The aromatic qualities of agarwood vary with the species, the geographic location, the branch, trunk or root of origin, the time since infection, and the methods of harvesting and processing. Synthetically induced agarwood has aromas different from those of naturally formed agarwood. The price per kilogram of agarwood can range from US$100 to US$100,000 depending on the quality of the material. Fake and adulterated wood is often pushed into markets as cheaper agarwood. Agarwood oil is one of the most expensive essential oils. Agarwood oil is used in aromatherapy, medicinal applications, incense, perfume and religious ceremonies in Southeast Asian countries and the Middle East. During 2008-2018, a total of 18,775 kg and 1854 L of agarwood oil were imported, mainly into Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the UAE.

Agarwood was described as a fragrant product as early as 1400 BCE in the Vedas of India. Appendix II of CITES includes all known Aquilaria species, which places major restrictions on trade of agarwood tissue and raw materials. Aquilaria malaccensis is now considered critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.

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Related: Agarwood Oud · Australian Oud · Cambodian Oud · Chinese Oud · Indian Oud · Indonesian Oud · Laotian Oud · Malaysian Oud