Changes produced in the aroma compounds and structural integrity of basil (Ocimum basilicum L) during drying

Abstract

The influence of drying on the aroma compounds, from a chemical and sensory standpoint, and on the structural integrity of basil (Ocimum basilicum L) was evaluated. The drying methods tested were oven drying at 45 • C, air drying at room temperature and freeze-drying. The volatile compounds of fresh and dried basil were extracted and concentrated by simultaneous distillation/extraction and analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. In all, 27 volatile components were identified, linalool being the major component, followed by eugenol. The total quantity of volatiles of fresh basil decreased considerably during oven drying and freeze-drying, whereas air drying of basil at room temperature brought about only small losses of volatile components. The cell damage produced on basil leaves during drying was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. From a sensory standpoint, fresh basil was described as having a fresh, herbaceous and floral odour, while the dried samples had a mentholated, spicy, hay-like and earthy odour.

The Effects of Dietary Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) Oil Supplementation on Performance, Carcass Traits and Some Blood Parameters of Japanese Quail Under Heat Stressed Condition

“…The essential oil volatile composition of rosemary has been the subject of considerable research in recent years. The principal volatile compounds in rosemary are camphor and 1,8-cineole, followed by borneol, verbenone, a-pinene and camphene [11][12][13] . Rosemary's oils from natural populations showed high variations in their antimicrobial and antioxidant activity [14,15] .…”

Volatile composition and olfactory profile of pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.) plants

“…Earth-like aroma has been found as one of the main attributes of the overall aroma of different dried aromatic plants, such as spearmint or basil. 5,6 2,5-Diethyltetrahydrofuran was detected with a roasted nuts and toasty odour in GC-sniffing analysis. This compound was also found in the peppermint and spearmint aroma (Díaz-Maroto MC, Castillo N, González-Viñas MA, Pérez-Coello MS. Food Chem.…”

“…Different extraction methods can be used to obtain the volatile fraction of a plant, such as hydrodistillation and steam distillation, 1,7,8 simultaneous distillation-extraction (SDE), [3][4][5][6]9,10 supercritical fluid extraction 1,9,11 or solidphase microextraction (SPME). 12,13 The extraction method has to be appropriately chosen, generally according to the targets of an investigation.…”

Effect of storage conditions on volatile composition of dried rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) leaves

“…Although the effects of drying on the quality of spices have been studied, [1][2][3][4] little information regarding the effects of their storage exists, and this is a topic of great interest for both industry and the consumer. As it happens, during the drying of the spices, valuable constituents, such as volatile compounds, are fairly stable in the intact plant tissue; however, they become sensitive during storage.…”

“…The concentration of γ-cadinene increased in samples stored in glass bottles, independently of the conditions of light and darkness, whereas in samples stored in PS bottles, significant differences were not observed. The increase in sesquiterpenes during drying of spices has been described in the literature; [4,9] however, data about their behaviour during storage have not been found.…”