Degradation and formation of wood odorant β-cyclocitral during permanganate oxidation

► We studied the formation and degradation of wood odorant β-cyclocitral during permanganate oxidation. ► Kinetic models were successfully developed to simulate/predict the oxidation of β-cyclocitral. ► The degradation of β-cyclocitral followed second-order kinetics with a rate constant of 91.7 ± 2.4 M−1 s−1. ► The degradation of β-carotene followed first-order kinetics with a rate constant of 0.0054 ± 0.0004 min−1. ► The degradation rate of β-cyclocitral produced from β-carotene was slower than that from pure chemicals.