Абсолют кастореуму

Beavers use castoreum in combination with urine to scent mark 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. Beavers deposit castoreum on piles of debris and mud called scent mounds.

Source animals

The two living beaver species are the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) and the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber). The North American beaver is native to North America. The Eurasian beaver is widespread across Eurasia.

Composition

At least 24 compounds are known constituents of beaver castoreum. Several of these have pheromonal activity; the strongest are the phenols 4-ethylphenol and catechol and the ketones acetophenone and 3-hydroxyacetophenone. Castoreum also contains nupharamine alkaloids, castoramine and cis-cyclohexane-1,2-diol. It contains castorin (0.33 to 2.5%) and volatile oil (1 to 2%), together with benzoic acid, salicylic acid, cinnamic acid and phenols. A minor component, 5-(3'-furyl)-8-methylindolizidine, makes up less than 0.0002% of castoreum.

The pouches

Canadian pouches are wrinkled, pear-shaped, almost flat, from 6 to 15 cm long and 4 to 8 cm wide. Siberian pouches are ovoid and smooth, slightly larger in size, but valued less commercially. Castoreum is a by-product of the fur industry. The fresh pouch contains a yellowish, butter-like mass. When the pouches are dried in the air or over a wood fire, the contents turn dark brown and become resinous.

Food use

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration classes castoreum extract as a generally recognized as safe food additive.

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Related: Aldambre · Ambrarome · Ambrein · Ambreine · Ambrettolide · Ambronova · Ammonia · Animal Notes