ABSTRACT
Juniper berry oil is the essential oil obtained from the fruit and the terminal branchlets of the juniper, Juniperus communis L. The common juniper is an aromatic and evergreen coniferous shrub or tree. It is widely distributed in Europe, North Africa, North America and north Asia southwards to the Himalayas. It produces blue-black ‘berries’, which are not true berries in the botanical sense, but are the female seed cones which have a berry-like appearance. Juniper berries are widely used in the food industry as flavorings and in the production of juniper-flavored spirits, such as gin. The berries and needles of juniper contain an essential oil that has a characteristic aromatic flavor and bitter taste. Juniper berry oil is a colorless, sometimes greenish clear mobile liquid, which has a fresh and herbaceous, typical ‘gin’- note odor with fruity-woody note. In juniper berry oils, a-pinene is nearly always the dominant chemical.
