Pink pepper CO2 extract

Bright pepper, lemon, red berries, pine resin, a hint of rose. Fresh and crisp, with little heat. The CO2 extract is rounder and sweeter than the oil.

Pink pepper has no dedicated standard in the IFRA 51 index. Limonene is present; limonene is under an IFRA peroxide-value specification and an EU-labelled allergen above threshold.

Schinus belongs to the cashew family (Anacardiaceae), with cashew and mango. Terpenes oxidise easily; store dark, sealed and cool with little headspace.

Pink pepper is the fruit of Schinus terebinthifolia, a small South American tree, and of Schinus molle from the Andes. The French name baies roses refers to the dried spice berries. Réunion and Madagascar are key sources for exports to France.

Despite the name, Schinus is not in Piper, the genus of true pepper. The small berries have a crisp red skin around a single seed. The taste is sweet and resinous, without the heat of pepper.

CO2 extraction uses compressed carbon dioxide as the solvent. Under subcritical conditions CO2 takes mainly the volatile fraction, giving a product called a select extract. Under supercritical conditions it also takes lipids and non-volatiles, giving a total extract. On depressurisation the CO2 evaporates completely and leaves no solvent residue.

Pink pepper chemistry is dominated by monoterpenes: α-phellandrene, limonene, myrcene and pinenes. Its rosy, berry facet sets it apart from black pepper, which is woodier and drier.

In perfumery pink pepper became a common top note from the mid 1990s. It often opens rose, woody and citrus fragrances. The CO2 extract keeps the berry note better than the distilled oil.

Schinus terebinthifolia is invasive in Florida, Hawaii and other regions. Cultivation for the spice is centred on Réunion, Madagascar and Brazil.