Perillaldehyde, or perilla aldehyde, is a natural organic compound

Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...

 found most abundantly in the annual herb perilla

Perilla

Perilla is the common name of the herbs of the genus Perilla of the mint family, Lamiaceae. In mild climates, the plant reseeds itself. There are both green-leafed and purple-leafed varieties, which are generally recognized as separate species by botanists. The leaves resemble stinging nettle...

, but also in a wide variety of other plants and essential oils. It is a monoterpenoid

Monoterpene

Monoterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of two isoprene units and have the molecular formula C10H16. Monoterpenes may be linear or contain rings...

 containing an aldehyde

Aldehyde

An aldehyde is an organic compound containing a formyl group. This functional group, with the structure R-CHO, consists of a carbonyl center bonded to hydrogen and an R group....

 functional group.

Perillaldehyde, or volatile oils from perilla that are rich in perillaldehyde, are used as food additive

Food additive

Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance.Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling , salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in some wines...

s for flavoring and in perfumery to add spiciness. Perillaldehyde can be readily converted to perilla alcohol, which is also used in perfumery. It has a mint-like, cinnamon odor and is primarily responsible for the flavor of perilla.

The oxime

Oxime

An oxime is a chemical compound belonging to the imines, with the general formula R1R2C=NOH, where R1 is an organic side chain and R2 may be hydrogen, forming an aldoxime, or another organic group, forming a ketoxime. O-substituted oximes form a closely related family of compounds...

 of perillaldehyde is known as perillartine

Perillartine

Perillartine, also known as perillartin and perilla sugar, is a sweetener that is about 2000 times as sweet as sucrose. It is mainly used in Japan.Perillartine is the oxime of perillaldehyde,which is found in Perilla frutescens ....

 or perilla sugar and is about 2000 times sweeter than sucrose and is used in Japan as a sweetener

Sugar substitute

A sugar substitute is a food additive that duplicates the effect of sugar in taste, usually with less food energy. Some sugar substitutes are natural and some are synthetic. Those that are not natural are, in general, called artificial sweeteners....

.