Extracting Safrole to Make Government-Banned Root Beer
Summary
This video details the process of extracting sassafras oil (safrole) to recreate old-fashioned root beer, as modern versions are banned due to safrole's perceived toxicity. The creator harvests and processes sassafras root, performs steam distillation to isolate the safrole, purifies it using sodium hydroxide, and then creates a homemade root beer syrup blended with other flavors and club soda. The final product is rated 7/10, noted for its natural, herbal taste compared to commercial root beer. The video concludes with a personal appeal to support the creator's sister's book.
Key Insights
Modern root beer flavors are no longer derived from sassafras root due to a US ban on safrole, the primary flavoring compound, despite its low toxicity in realistic consumption," the creator explains.
The narrator begins by expressing a strong fondness for root beer, revealing that modern root beer no longer uses sassafras root or safrole, the natural ingredient that originally provided its distinctive flavor. Old-fashioned root beer was essentially a fizzy, sweetened tea made from sassafras tree roots, rich in an oil called safrole. This ingredient was used for centuries until the US government banned it in food products. The ban was based on studies showing safrole could cause health issues in lab rats when consumed in extremely high doses, equivalent to drinking over 30 sodas daily. Although later research suggested safrole could be used safely as a flavoring, the US has not reinstated it as a legal food additive.
Homemade root beer requires extracting safrole from sassafras root, typically through steam distillation, followed by purification and careful blending with other flavorings and carbonated water.
To recreate authentic root beer, the creator embarked on a DIY project involving sourcing sassafras root, extracting safrole, and making a custom root beer. The process involved identifying and harvesting wild sassafras, recognizing its distinctive mitten or duck-foot-shaped leaves. The safrole oil is primarily in the root bark, so the roots were stripped of their bark. This was followed by steam distillation, a method chosen for its cleanliness and efficiency in separating volatile oils from non-volatile compounds and potential solvents. The prepared sassafras was blended with water and subjected to distillation, yielding an oily substance, primarily safrole, along with other compounds like pinene and eugenol. This extracted oil smelled strongly of root beer with hints of turpentine. The collected safrole-in-water mixture was then purified using a separatory funnel and treated with aqueous sodium hydroxide to remove impurities and discoloration from scorching, resulting in about two milliliters of clear safrole oil.
Sections
The Ban on Sassafras and the Quest for Original Flavor
Modern root beer lacks the original flavor due to the ban on sassafras and its key compound, safrole.
The creator highlights their personal addiction to root beer and reveals that its original flavor, derived from sassafras root's safrole oil, is no longer present in modern commercial varieties. The US government banned safrole in food products due to perceived health risks in lab rats at extremely high doses. Despite later studies suggesting safrole's safety in normal consumption, its status as a food additive remains un-reinstated in the US.
Experiencing authentic root beer flavor now requires homemade extraction of safrole.
To taste the original root beer flavor without traveling to Europe, the only option is to extract safrole oneself and create homemade soda. This revelation motivated the creator to undertake the process.
Harvesting and Preparing Sassafras Root
Sourcing sassafras root involves finding wild plants, as commercially available versions often lack intact safrole.
The creator explains that purchasing sassafras with the safrole intact is nearly impossible, making it necessary to dig up the roots directly from wild sassafras plants. They found this relatively easy due to their location where wild sassafras is common.
Sassafras plants are identifiable by their unique mitten or duck-foot-shaped leaves.
The creator describes how to identify sassafras, noting its iconic leaves that typically have three distinct shapes: mitten, regular leaf, or duck foot. Spotting these leaves helped them locate the plant in the woods near their family's cabin.
The process of digging up sassafras roots was time-consuming but successful.
After locating the sassafras plants, the creator proceeded to dig up a few of the roots. While it took some effort, they were eventually successful in obtaining a sample of the roots.
The key flavoring compound, safrole, is concentrated in the root bark.
The creator notes that most of the safrole oil is in the outer layers of the root bark. Therefore, they focused on stripping the bark from the collected roots. They ended up with approximately 85 grams of usable sassafras root bark.
Breaking down the root bark aids safrole recovery but should avoid creating a paste to prevent scorching.
The sassafras bark was processed by blending it with water. Breaking down the root increases the surface area for safrole extraction. However, it's crucial not to pulverize it into a paste, as this could lead to the mixture scorching during the distillation process.
Safrole Extraction via Steam Distillation
Steam distillation is a preferred method for extracting safrole due to its cleanliness and efficiency.
The creator contrasts steam distillation with solvent extraction (using acetone or dichloromethane). While solvents can extract safrole, they might also pull undesirable compounds, risk leaving solvent residues in the final product, and may not be fully effective. Steam distillation is presented as a cleaner, easier alternative that isolates the oil without non-volatile impurities or toxic solvents.
The sassafras mixture is distilled with water to capture the volatile safrole oil.
The blended sassafras and water mixture was placed into a 500ml boiling flask. Distillation was initiated, with a stir bar initially attempted but found ineffective due to the volume of plant material. As the mixture boiled, a murky liquid collected in the condenser, separating into a heavy oily substance (safrole-rich oil) in the receiving flask.
The extracted oil contains mostly safrole, along with other compounds like pinene and eugenol.
The collected oily substance is primarily safrole, but also includes other compounds present in sassafras, such as pinene (contributing pine-like notes) and eugenol. The aroma during distillation was described as strongly reminiscent of root beer, though with a more natural and slightly turpentine-like edge.
Multiple distillations with added water were needed to collect a significant amount of safrole oil.
The distillation process took several hours. Additional boiling water was added multiple times to ensure maximum oil extraction. The safrole oil, being denser than water, settled to the bottom of the collection flask.
Safrole oil was isolated using a separatory funnel, and attempts to use salt for separation were unsuccessful.
A separatory funnel was used to isolate the safrole oil from the water. The creator also tried crushing the oil with salt, but this method didn't work effectively, possibly due to the high water content. Solvent extraction was considered but deemed too much effort.
Purifying the Safrole Oil
Sodium hydroxide treatment was used to purify the safrole and remove discoloration.
Some of the sassafras mixture had scorched during distillation, imparting a slight yellow color and off-smell to the safrole oil. To address this, the creator prepared aqueous sodium hydroxide and added it to the contaminated safrole. This treatment is typically used to extract eugenol but was hoped to also remove the color and smell.
The sodium hydroxide treatment successfully removed impurities and yellowing from the safrole.
The treatment with sodium hydroxide resulted in the upper aqueous layer turning noticeably yellow, while the safrole oil appeared cleaner. The oil was subsequently washed several times with water and dried over calcium chloride.
Approximately two milliliters of purified safrole oil were obtained, representing about 3% of the root's weight.
The final yield was about two milliliters of clear safrole oil. This amount corresponded to roughly 3% of the initial sassafras root weight, which is within the expected range for safrole content. This was considered sufficient for making root beer.
The creator considered the steam distillation process a success for their first attempt.
The creator reflects positively on their first experience with steam distillation, deeming the outcome satisfactory and acknowledging that the collected safrole would be enough for their root beer project.
Crafting the Homemade Root Beer
A simple syrup base is combined with extracted safrole and other flavorings, then carbonated with club soda.
The process for making the root beer involved creating a simple syrup and mixing it with off-the-shelf club soda for carbonation. The recipe included specific quantities for sucrose, water, vanilla solution, citric acid solution, anethole, and sassafras oil.
The recipe includes sugar, water, vanilla, citric acid, anethole, and the homemade safrole oil.
The ingredients for the root beer syrup were listed as: 160g sucrose, 470ml water, 15ml vanilla solution, 15ml citric acid solution, 1ml anethole (anise/licorice extract), and approximately 100 microliters (about 3 drops) of safrole oil. Optional red and green food dyes were added for color.
A mix of brown and white sugar was used for a more complex caramel flavor in the syrup.
The creator used a 50/50 mix of brown and white sugar for the simple syrup. They preferred brown sugar for its deeper, caramel-like flavor profile that complements root beer well. The sugar dissolved quickly in water without the need for heating.
Wintergreen, a key root beer flavor, was absent from the recipe but noted as important.
Vanilla extract, lemon juice (citric acid), and anise extract were added to the syrup base, along with salt. The creator lamented the absence of wintergreen extract, acknowledging it as a vital underlying flavor in traditional root beer, the omission of which was noticeable compared to commercial brands.
The amount of safrole added was carefully controlled due to potential toxicity concerns.
The creator discussed the toxicity of safrole, noting conflicting information about lethal doses—some sources suggest it requires over an ounce for a person of their size, while others claim as little as five milliliters could be fatal. They compared its toxicity to wintergreen oil, which is safely consumed daily by many. Despite the varying information, they opted for a very small amount, using only about three drops, the maximum that would dissolve in water, to avoid any risks.
Food coloring was added to achieve the characteristic root beer color.
After adding the safrole and shaking the mixture to create a homogeneous syrup, red and green food coloring were added to achieve the rich brown hue typical of root beer.
The homemade root beer was created by mixing the syrup with club soda, with a suggested ratio of 1 part syrup to 2 parts soda.
Finally, the homemade root beer syrup was combined with club soda. The creator preferred a 1:2 syrup-to-soda ratio for a stronger, more traditional flavor, though they suggested a 1:3 ratio for those who prefer less sweetness, similar to store-bought root beer. The mixture was served over ice.
Tasting and Review of Homemade Root Beer
The homemade root beer tasted like root beer but had a more natural, herbal profile than commercial brands.
Upon tasting the authentic safrole-based root beer, the creator described it as tasting like root beer but different from major brands like A&W. It was compared more to sodas from a specialty soda shop, possessing a distinct natural and herbal character which was attributed to the safrole.
The root beer was rated 7/10, considered a success due to its enjoyable and natural flavor.
Overall, the creator gave the homemade root beer a 7 out of 10 rating. They felt that if served at a party or restaurant, it would be difficult to distinguish from ordinary root beer. They considered the project a success, particularly given its natural origin compared to potentially synthetic ingredients in commercial sodas.
The result was deemed successful, despite not being identical to commercial versions.
The creator acknowledged that while the homemade root beer wasn't 100% identical to modern commercial versions, it was a successful outcome for a self-made beverage. They humorously noted it wasn't made from 'paint thinner or plastic gloves' but from a 'questionable chemical precursor' that turned out well.
Future attempts would involve less anise and the inclusion of wintergreen flavor.
For any future attempts at making this root beer, the creator would reduce the amount of anise and definitely include wintergreen flavor, recognizing its importance in the overall taste profile.
Personal Appeal and Channel Promotion
The creator promotes their sister's fictional book, 'Ad Bellum,' inspired by her mental health struggles.
The video concludes with a personal note about the creator's younger sister, Mariah, who has struggled with mental health issues. These struggles inspired her to write a fictional book titled 'Ad Bellum,' where she personifies these challenges as monsters that the protagonist must confront. The creator expresses pride in her work and its potential to help others.
Viewers are encouraged to sign up for Mariah's newsletter to support her self-publishing goal.
To support Mariah's goal of self-publishing 'Ad Bellum' and positively impacting others, the creator provides a link to her monthly email newsletter in the video description. Signing up provides access to her free flash fiction, 'Ashes,' and helps her achieve her publishing dreams.
The creator teases upcoming chemistry projects and encourages subscriptions and Patreon support.
The creator thanks viewers for watching and encourages them to subscribe for future projects, including Tesla coils and death rays. They also recommend supporting the channel through Patreon, expressing gratitude to existing patrons whose contributions make these projects possible. Likes, shares, and subscriptions are also requested.
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