Functional alcohol releasing substance

A method of releasing in a composition, a functional alcohol of the formula

• R4—OH
• wherein R4 represents an aromatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 11 carbon atoms, or an alkadienyl group, alkatrienyl group, aryl group, arylalkyl group or monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic terpene hydrocarbon group, each having from 12 to 30 carbon atoms, wherein a part of the hydrogen atoms on the hydrocarbon group of R4 may be substituted by a halogen atom or hydroxyl group, the methylene group in the hydrocarbon group of R4 may be substituted by carbonyl group, amido bond, oxygen atom or sulfur atom, the methyl group may be substituted by formyl group or —CONH2, the carbon-carbon double bond may be substituted by epoxy group and, when isomers are present in R4, it may be a mixture of isomers,
• comprising formulating a composition comprising a betaine ester of said functional alcohol of the general formula (I)
• wherein each of R1, R2 and R3 independently represents hydrogen atom or a straight- or branched-chain alkyl or alkenyl group having from 1 to 30 carbon atoms, Y represents a straight- or branched-chain alkylene group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, Z is a group represented by —R5 (OA)n—(wherein R5 is a straight or branched-chain alkylene group having from 1 to 30 carbon atoms, and A is a straight- or branched-chain alkylene group having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, and n is a number of from 0 to 10), R4 represents an aromatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 11 carbon atoms, or an alkadienyl group, alkatrienyl group, aryl group, arylalkyl group or monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic terpene hydrocarbon group, each having from 12 to 30 carbon atoms, wherein a part of the hydrogen atoms on the hydrocarbon group of R4 may be substituted by a halogen atom or hydroxyl group, the methylene group in the hydrocarbon group of R4 may be substituted by carbonyl group, amido bond, oxygen atom or sulfur atom, the methyl group may be substituted by formyl group or - CONH2, the carbon-carbon double bond may be substituted by epoxy group and, when isomers are present in R4, it may be a mixture of isomers, and X represents an anion.