Enfleurage 101

In essence enfleurage only absorbs the volatile perfume given off by the flowers. The beauty of enfleurage is its simplicity and the purity of scent you can extract. The scent is like the scent of the fresh flowers, or the headspace of the flowers.  All it takes is patience and lots of flowers, the rest is easily available. I have been using enfleurage for many years now and have picked up a few tips over the years.
… how do you manage your process?

Enfleurage Historically

Since ancient times, man had noticed that fats and oils absorb fragrances. Extractions of fragrances through fats predates Ancient Egypt as it is widely used in Africa as I explored in my article Is Southern Africa the Cradle of Mankind?  

 

Curiously it is not only humans who use fats (lipids) to extract the volatile fragrances  from their environment to compose perfumes, through a process very similar to enfleurage. The male neotropical orchid bees (Euglossini), spend their entire lives collecting fragrances from the rain forests in South or Central America. It is speculated that their individual fragrance bouquets serves as an indicator of male genotypic and phenotypic quality, possibly reflecting foraging skills and/or survival abilities to female bees. (See More)

It was not until the nineteenth century that the “odorous principle” of raw materials absorbed by fat was extracted, using ethanol.

Historically in France 3 methods of extraction with fats (nonvolatile solvents) were used to extract the essences of flowers. The method with the aid of heat was called maceration, or sometimes Hot Enfleurage, and the method without the aid of heat was called Enfleurage. Enfleurage included both Cold Enfleurage, using fats and Oil Enfluerage that used oils.

The process of maceration was applied to rose, orange flower, violet, cassie, and lily of the valley. Gildemeister in his book The Volatile Oils, describes the process;

The flowers to be extracted either, in bulk or tied into sacks made of fine linen, are immersed in the fat heated to about 50 to 70°. The time of extraction varies with the plant materials and lasts up to 48 hours. The fineness of the aroma of the pomade is inverse to the time of exposure of the flowers to the action of the fat. If prolonged unduly, other odoriferous substances that interfere with the quality of the perfume are also absorbed. The extraction being completed, the fat is expressed from the flowers with the aid either of hydraulic presses or of centrifuges. The recovered, partly aromatized fat is treated with fresh flowers. This is repeated ten to fifteen times until the fat has acquired the desired strength as to odor. The floral extracts thus obtained are known by the same names as those obtained by the enfleurage process and are treated in like manner for the separation of the volatile oil. Here also the recovered fat, the corps epuise, is not used again in the perfume factory but finds its way into the soap industry.

Apparatus for maceration and separation of the fat from the flowers by means of centrifuges. (Schimmel & Co.).

Enfleurage was specifically used to extract the fragrant essence of those flowers which continue to produce volatile oil even after they have been removed form the stem and were too delicate for distillation.

Flowers can be divided into two classes of which the one, to which rose and orange flower belong, contain their perfume ready made. The other, to which belong jasmin and tuberose, contain either no ready made volatile oil or but very little thereof. These, however, continually produce perfume as a part of the life process of the cells. If the flower be killed by petroleum, ether, or hot fat, the life process and with it the formation of volatile oil naturally ceases. If, however, the cut flower be placed over fat, it continues to live for a long time and to emanate odors which in the enfleurage process are absorbed by the fat.  – Passy (1897) 

Every jasmine and tuberose flower resembles, a tiny factory continually emitting minute quantities of perfume. Jasmine for example produces 4-5 times more essential oil than is present at any time in the fresh flower, and tuberose up to 12 times more. Using enfleurage , the yield of essential oils from these flowers is higher than when using extraction processes with volatile solvents or distillation.

Traditionally a chassis was used for cold enfleurage. They were wooden frames about 5 cm high and 50 to 80 cm square with a glass plate in the middle of the frame. The pomade (fat) used for enfleurage consisted out of 40 parts of beef fat and 60 parts of lard. During the hottest months a mixture of equal parts of both was used.

This fat was then spread on both sides of the glass plate with a thickness of about 3 mm in thickness and a margin of 4 cm wide was left. The flowers, without their calices, were then spread over this layer of fat (enfleurer).  To enlarge the surface of the fat exposed to the flowers criss cross furrows were drawn through it with a spatula. Thirty-five to forty of the chassis were piled one on top of the other. In this way the flowers were enclosed between two layers of fat, which absorbed the aroma.

After the flowers have remained on the fat for the requisite length of time, they were removed by a rap on the frame or with the aid of the fingers (defleurer) The chassis were then charged again but this time on the other side so that the flowers rested on the layer of fat which in the previous exposure was the upper one, thus producing a more even charging of the fat with perfume. This process was then repeated as often as desired until the fat has absorbed a sufficient amount of fragrance. The price of the pomade (Pommade francaise) depends on the number of exposures. Generally the fat was exposed 30 times!

Oil Enfleurage used liquid oils where the glass plates of the chassis are replaced by wire screens, which served as supports for woolen cloths saturated with the oil used. The flowers are strewn on these cloths and process repeated as with enfleurage using fats. The perfumed oil, huile frangaise, huile par-fumee, huile antique, was finally expressed from the cloths by means of hydraulic presses.

Oil Enfleurage used liquid oils where the glass plates of the chassis are replaced by wire screens, which served as supports for woolen cloths saturated with the oil used. The flowers are strewn on these cloths and process repeated as with enfleurage using fats. The perfumed oil, huile frangaise, huile par-fumee, huile antique, was finally expressed from the cloths by means of hydraulic presses.

Extraction from Pomade and Oil: Finally, the pure oil was obtained from the pomade or from the huile francaise as from the concrete oils. The pomade was extracted with strong alcohol, either in flasks by continuous shaking or in factories with the aid of special stirring device.

The cylindrical vessels are supplied with mechanical stirring device which cause the fat and alcohol to be intimately mixed. Here also the last traces of fat are removed by freezing. From the extraits aux fleurs thus prepared, the essences are obtained by removal of the alcohol.

Enfleurage was also used in household during the early 20th Centuary as the instruction from a 1920’s magazine from South Africa illustrates.

I translated the instructions for the Laventel  as colognes were often called in South Africa during those days.

Melt sheep kidney fat, just enough to cover the bottom of two soup bowls – about ½ inch thick. (make sure that you purify the fat in water so that there is no fatty smell). Now take your rose petals, or violets and press them into one of the plates. (the fat must first have cooled) and place the other plate on top and seal the sides with dough so that no air can come in. After 24 hours open it up; scrape the fat from the plates and put it into a wide mouth jar with just enough alcohol or wine to cover. Cork close and make a slit in the cork just big enough to insert a wooden or paper knife (do not use steel). Mix the fat and spirits well and let it stand overnight in a cool place. The next morning all the scent will be out of the fat into the spirits and your scent will be ready. You can use the same fat over and over again.

The instructions only mentions one charge of flowers, and I wonder whether it was assumed that the readers knew to do it more than once. I love the ingenious small scale stirrer and the use of dough to make it airtight! The classic method of enfleurage as described by Gildemeister remained in essence.

Personal Observations

The beauty of enfleurage is its simplicity and the purity of scent you can extract. The scent is like the the scent of the fresh flowers, or the headspace of the flowers.  In essence enfleurage only absorbs the volatile perfume given off by the flowers. All it takes is patience and lots of flowers, the rest is easily available. I have been using enfleurage for many years now and have picked up a few tips over the years.

Which Fat to Use?

As mentioned above, traditionally animal fat was used and making of the pomade in itself was an art.  If you really want to start from scratch to make the pomade here is how Gildemeister describes the process.

1. The fat of recently killed animals is cut into pieces and all impure or malodorus parts are removed. The good parts are then further reduced and rendered in a special apparatus, the tissues and other impurities being removed.

2. In order to remove traces of blood, the mass thus resulting is ground between mill stones with the aid of water until the latter remains clear.

3. The fat is next melted at the lowest possible temperature in a jacketed steam pan and alum is added. The alum facilitates the coagulation of impurities which rise to the surface and can be removed with the aid of a skimming spoon. (If you are doing it yourself you will probably start as this point thus put the suet in large pot, add a teaspoon of alum, cover with water and simmer for about an hour, skim. Repeat the process until the fat is odourless.)

4. The molten mass is allowed to stand for several days, the separated water is removed and the fat strained through linen.

5. The fat thus obtained is preserved in one of several ways. The fat is digested (infused?) for an hour with gum benzoes (about 1 to 3 g for each kilo of fat)1) and either orange flowers (according to Pillet 250 g for each kilo of fat) or, less frequently, with rose water (about 40 g for each kilo of fat).

6. This mixture is then allowed to stand for several hours and the fat, freed from water drawn, into the containers. This is done in May at the time of the orange flower harvest. The fat thus prepared (le corps prepare) is said to be very stable. Occasionally a simpler method is employed. The purified fat is digested with gum benzoes (axonge benzoinee) or with tolu balsam (axonge toluinee) or for a few moments only with poplar buds (axonge populinee).

Personally, I use Palm fat, it is odourless and has the right consistancy, even in hot weather, as well as being easily available. Any other fat that is solid at room temperature can be used, for example: shea butter, mango, cocoa butter,  coconut oil, palm or soybean (hydrogenated soybean oil), bearing in mind that some will have a fragrance of its own.  What you have in mind for the enflowered  pomade as end product will also determine which fat will be best to use.

 

Chassis/ Plates or Sheets of Glass?

If you want to make the traditional wooden frame chassis, all very well, but it really isn’t necessary. Plates, or any flat glass container or a flat piece of glass will serve the purpose and is easy to clean. I have even seen someone use cardboard covered in tinfoil.  If you want to do the double exposure method as was done traditionally with chassis, then soup bowls or plates works well, because it will not squash the flowers.

Scoring the Fat or Not?

The biggest difficulty with enfleurage, besides patience, is to prevent mould from forming. Most sources suggest, scoring the surface of the fat in a crisscross pattern. I just found this to be a trap for pollen or pieces of petals that get stuck in the score lines and cause mould to form. The fat absorbs the scent so readily there is no need to score. I once put a block of fat in the fridge near an onion and the whole block was permeated with the scent of onion!

Which Flowers?

Any highly fragrant flower, especially those that fill the air with their scent and keeps on breathing their scent after plucking. Traditionally Jasmine, Tuberose, Jonquil, lily of the valley, and Mignonette was used. I do not use roses as they lend themselves perfectly to other methods of extraction such as maceration, distillation and solvent extraction.   If you want to use a new flower do some tests beforehand.

• Find out which time of the day they are most fragrant.
• Are there any changes in scent during the cycles of the day.
• Are there any changes in the scent after plucking?
• How long do they keep their fragrance after plucking?

The first flower I used was Gingerlily and it was in fact the flower that launched me into enfleurage. I loved the scent, but it was too high in water content for tincture, and the scent was more spicy gingery than floral. In enfleurage it was magnificent, just like the fresh flower. I have also used Jasmine, Noem Noem, Waterblommetjie Flowers, Frangipani, Persian Lilac, Buddleja salviifolia, Sweet Alyssum, Chrysanthemums and a few that I am still trying to find out what their names are.  Sweet Alyssum and Buddleja salviifolia requires lots of hard work in that you have to pluck each tiny little blossom separately and you need many.

How long do before you replace the flowers?

I also learned the hard way that each flower requires very different timing on how long you should leave it in enfleurage. The following list should give you an idea or timing with certain type of flowers.

• Buddleja salviifolia 24 hours
•  Chrysanthemums 24 hours
• Frangipani 48 hours
• Gingerlily and other big fleshy flowers should not be left in for longer than 24 hours, or else you will be left with mushy mess.  Pick only those newly opened.
• Jasmin 24 hours,
• Jonquil 48 hours
• Noem Noem 48 hours
• Persian Lilac 12 hours
• Sweet Alyssum 12 hours
• Tuberose 12 hours and are placed on the fat unopened and are allowed to expand while resting on the fat.

How do you space them? 

I pack them as densely as possible, with each blossom just touching the adjacent flower, so that there is no open spaces. For Jasmine grandiflora for example I use at least 42 flowers per 15 cm diameter. However, if you do not have enough flowers space them the fumes will impregnate the whole surface.

Double Exposure

Is when you have two surfaces with fat and only place the flowers on one of the surfaces. On alternate days you place the flowers on the other side so that the flowers rest on the layer of fat which in the previous exposure was the upper one, thus producing a more even charging of the fat with perfume.  The scent will impregnate the layer that does not have direct exposure.

Sealing 

Often I found in methods mentioned on the internet the use of masking tape to seal plates or glass planes together. The masking tape method was the first thing I discarded as it proved to be impractical, as you often have recharge with fresh flowers. The masking tape just became tacky and pretty useless. All you need is a double layer of cling wrap to cover.  It keeps it well sealed and you can easily replace it if there is a moisture build up.

Defleurage

Defleurage sounds quiete straight forward; you just remove the flowers. It is actually an important part of the process. The careful removal of the flowers (defleurage) is almost more important than charging the fat on the chassis with fresh flowers.  Most of the exhausted flowers will fall from the fat layer on the chassis glass plate when the chassis is struck lightly against the working table, but since it is necessary to remove every single flower and every particle of the flower, you may need to use tweezers to remove small bits. If there is any moisture, gently dab the surface with a paper towel.

Into Alcohol

If you are not going to use the enflowered fat as it is, then the next step is to place it into alcohol. You will scrape the pomade from the chassis in place it in the alcohol you are using for extraction. If you stir it every day for a week, it will be ready for straining. Before you strain place it in the fridge for 24 hours. You will still find that some alchol is absorbeb in the fat, so you will have to press the remaining alcohol from the fat.

Troubleshooting

• Recharging 30 Times?

Traditionally the process took six to eight weeks, changing the flowers at least 30 times. Not everyone will have enough flowers for such an extended period to recharge 30 times. To prevent mould from forming over such long period is very difficult.  To solve both problems, after recharging 8 – 10 times, I now take the already fragrant fat, break it up into pieces and put it into alcohol and start a fresh batch. When the next batch is ready I strain the “tincture” and put the second batch in.

By recharging the alcohol with enfleuraged pomade you have control of how strong your end product will be.

If you do not have enough supply of a particular flower in one season, you can then also put what you have in the alcohol and leave it until the next season, strain and continue the process until it is strong enough. This way you also solve the mould problem.

• Mould

There are steps you can take to prevent mould.

1. Place the chassis in a cool area.

2. Remove stem, stalks, leaves, calyx of the flowers.

3. Make sure that there is no moisture or dew on the flowers.

4. Defleurage carefully.

5. If in doubt start afresh after 8-10 charges.

• Lost track of how many times I recharged

It is also easy to loose track of how many times you have recharged the flowers, especially if you are working with many different flowers at the same time.  So do keep a enfleurage logbook where you carefully note when you started a batch of a particular flower and note every time you recharge.

• Fat Absorbed most of the alcohol

Before you strain put the enfleurage “tincture” in the fridge for 24 hours as the fat at room temperature will absorb a lot of the alcohol and you will lose a lot of the alcohol if you don’t.  In fridge temperature the fat becomes solid again and most of the alcohol and fat separates. After straining, press the fat for the remaining trapped alcohol.