Coumarin is a natural chemical with aromatic and fragrant characteristics, extremely popular in the plant world. It has a sweet odor, easy to be recognized as the scent of new-mown hay, with creamy vanilla bean odor with nut-like tones that are heavy, but not sharp or brilliant. Coumarin is found in different plant sources such as vegetables, spices, fruits, and medicinal plants including all parts of the plants—fruits, roots, stems and leaves. Although distributed throughout all parts of the plant, the coumarins occur at the highest levels in the fruits (Bael fruits (Aegle marmelos), Tetrapleura tetraptera TAUB (Mimosaceae), bilberry, and cloudberry), seeds (tonka beans) (Calophyllum cerasiferum Vesque and Calophyllum inophyllum Linn) followed by the roots (Ferulago campestris), leaves (Murraya paniculata) Phellodendron amurense var. wilsonii, and latex of the tropical rainforest tree Calophyllum teysmannii var. inophylloide green tea and other foods such as chicory. They are also found at high levels in some essential oils such as cassia oil, cinnamon bark oil, and lavender oil. Environmental conditions and seasonal changes could influence the incidence of coumarins in varied parts of the plant.
Coumarin is found in high concentrations in certain types of cinnamon, which is one of the most frequent sources of human exposure to this substance. A 2013 study showed different varieties containing different levels of coumarin: Ceylon cinnamon or true cinnamon (Cinnamomum Verum): 0.005 to 0.090 mg/g; Chinese cinnamon or Chinese cassia (C. cassia): 0.085 to 0.310 mg/g; Indonesian cinnamon or Padang cassia (C. burmannii): 2.14 to 9.30 mg/g; Saigon cinnamon or Vietnamese cassia (C. Loureiro): 1.06 to 6.97 mg/g. However, human exposure to coumarin has not been strictly determined, since there are no systematic measurements of consumption of cinnamon-containing foods. The addition of pure coumarin to foods is not allowed, since large amounts of coumarin can be hepatotoxic. However, according to the new European aroma law, coumarin may be present in foods only naturally or as a flavoring obtained from natural raw materials (as is the case with cinnamon).
Source
1. Website: U.S. National Library of Medicine
2. Study: Cassia Cinnamon as a Source of Coumarin in Cinnamon-Flavored Food and Food Supplements in the United States J. Agric. Food Chem.,
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