Plai or cassumunar ginger (Zingiber montanum), mainly distributed in tropical
Asia, is an essential oil-bearing
rhizomatous crop belonging to the Zingiberaceae family. Rhizomes and
essential oil of this herb are used in culinary as flavoring agents,
traditional medicines, and aromatherapy. In this study, the effect
of different postharvest drying methods (air-, oven-drying at 40 and
60 °C, sun-, microwave-, and freeze-drying) of its sliced rhizome
on the essential oil yield, composition, and sensory quality was investigated.
The major key odorants and phytotoxins in its essential oil were identified
for the first time through sensory- or bioassay-guided fractionation.
Although the drying methods did not alter the oil composition significantly,
oven-drying at 40 °C and freeze-drying produced the highest oil
yield (81.0% of fresh rhizome) while maintaining the sensory quality.
4-Terpineol was found to be the majorly abundant key odorant in its
oil through detailed sensory analysis. This oxygenated monoterpene
was also demonstrated to be the major phytotoxin negatively affecting
seed germination and shoot and root growth of wheatgrass seeds with
IC50 values of 0.67, 0.10, and 0.17 mM, respectively. The
current study is beneficial for further value addition of this crop
in food industries and the agricultural sector.