Sandalwood Oil ( Santalum album L.): Source of a Botanical Pesticide—Present Status and Potential Prospects

Among the commercially viable essential oils, sandalwood oil is largely used for a variety of purposes. Distillation methods of sandalwood oil vary, ranging from today's steam distillation to the more traditional hydrodistillation (water), also including CO2 extraction, absolute extraction, and an array of new technologies. Santalol in sandalwood oil is conventionally analyzed by gas chromatography (GC), while those in heartwoods of field-grown trees are analyzed by GC with mass spectrometry (GC-MS)/MS. The highest maximum use level for sandalwood oil in food products is approximately 90 ppm. The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) has approved sandalwood oil as a "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) flavoring ingredient for use in food. Sandalwood oil is an active substance of agreeable odor employed in the treatment of subacute and chronic infections of mucous tissues. The characteristic features of sandalwood oil indicate that it has potential to be used as a pesticide in a variety of ways to control a large number of pests.