THE CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS - IFEAT

INTRODUCTIONOVERVIEW OF THE AGARWOOD OIL INDUSTRYDr. Pakamas ChetpattananondhDepartment of Chemical EngineeringPrince of Songkla UniversityThailandpakamas.p@psu.ac.thAgarwood is a resinous, fragrant and highlyvaluable heartwood. The scientific name isAquilaria. It is also known as aloeswood,eaglewood, krissana in Thailand, gaharu inMalaysia and Indonesia, Oudh in the MiddleEast, chen-xiang in Chinese and jin-koh inJapan.Aquilaria TreesIntroductionInfected tree barkAgarwood chipsHealthy agarwood is relatively light andpale coloured. When the wood is infectedby a disease in the wild, the infectionprocess produces a dark aromatic resin inresponse to the attack. This results in a verydense, dark, resin embedded hardwood.This resin is highly prized and commandsan exceptionally high value because of itsdistinctive fragrance and medicinal benefits.Agarwood oil, also known as Oudh oil or Oud oilThe international trade in agarwood involves wood, wood chips, powder and oil.Agarwood oil is also known as Oudh oil or Oud oil. The oil is conventionally obtained by the waterdistillationprocess.IntroductionUsesAgarwood oil can be applied directly to theskin. Pure agarwood oil has a slow releaseeffect lasting at least 8 hours.Pure oil form, oil blends and theperfume industryBurning as incenseA small amount of agarwood oil can beadded to other oils to give a rich andcomplex depth and to fix the aroma ofmiddle or top notes in perfume blending.Pure agarwood oil is also burned asincense, especially in Japan. It is used inspiritual ceremonies or holy occasions as atemple offering in the Muslim, Hindu andBuddhist traditions.131