Origin of Custard apple essential oil:
It is originated in tropical America. It is cultivated in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, Orissa, Assam, and Tamil Nadu besides India, it is common in China, Philippines, Egypt and Central Africa.

Description of Custard apple :
A small tropical tree, indigenous to the Amazon rainforest, growing up to 20' tall. The leaves are thin, oblong while the flowers are greenish - yellow. The conical fruit, with a purple knobby skin, is very sweet and is eaten fresh or can be used for shakes. The fruit is juicy and creamy - white. It is dull-green on the upperside, pale, with a bloom, below. It is slightly hairy when young, aromatic when crushed. Along the branch tips, opposite the leaves, the fragrant flowers are borne singly or in groups of 2 to 4. They are oblong, never fully open with 1 in (2.5 cm) long, drooping stalks and 3 fleshy outer petals, yellow-green on the outside and pale-yellow inside with a purple or dark-red spot at the base.


Appearance : Thick juicy liquid

Aroma : Sweet, woody aroma

Color : Pale green to lemony

Chemical constituents:: oil has various chemical compounds that include ?- and ?-pinene, E-ocimene, germacrene-D, methyl and ethyl butanoate and methyl hexanoate.

Extraction: cold expression of the seed.

Pharmaceutical uses:
In India the crushed leaves are sniffed to overcome hysteria and fainting spells, they are also applied on ulcers and wounds and a leaf decoction is taken in cases of dysentery. Throughout tropical America, a decoction of the leaves alone or with those of other plants is imbibed either as an emmenagogue, febrifuge, tonic, cold remedy, digestive or to clarify the urine. The leaf decoction is also employed in baths to alleviate rheumatic pain. The green fruit, very astringent is employed against diarrhea in El Salvador. The crushed ripe fruit, mixed with salt, is applied on tumors. The bark and roots are both highly astringent. The bark decoction is given as a tonic and to halt diarrhea. The root, because of its strong purgative action, is administered as a drastic treatment for dysentery and other ailments.

Flavorings:
The fruits are generally used as fresh, while some products or mixed fruits for the preparation of custard powders, ice creams and puddings.

The ripe custard apple is usually broken open and the flesh segments are enjoyed while the hard seeds are separated in the mouth and spat out. In Malaya, the flesh is pressed through a sieve to eliminate the seeds and is then added to ice cream or blended with milk to make a cool beverage. It is never cooked. Most widespread throughout the tropics is the making of refreshing soursop drinks (called champola in Brazil, carato in Puerto Rico). For this purpose, the seeded pulp may be pressed in a colander or sieve or squeezed in cheesecloth to extract the rich, creamy juice, which is then beaten with milk or water and sweetened. The seeded pulp may be blended with an equal amount of boiling water and then strained and sweetened. Annonas are used mostly to make drinks or flavor frozen desserts.

Industrial uses:
The seed kernels contain 14-49% of whitish or yellowish, non-drying oil with saponification index of 186.40. It has been proposed as a substitute for peanut oil in the manufacture of soap and can be detoxified by an alkali treatment and used for edible purposes. The leaves yield an excellent oil rich in terpenes and sesquiterpenes, mainly B-caryophyllene, which finds limited use in perfumes, giving a woody spicy accent. The bark of the tree has been used in tanning.

Fiber extracted from the bark has been employed for cordage. The tree serves as host for lac-excreting insects.