4998
Shimaa Ahmed Elsayed Moawad Abd Elrehim
STUDIES ON APPLYING SOME TECHNOLOGICALMETHODSToPREPARE SPICES AND HERBS WHICII COINCIDE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL QUALITY STANDARDS
cumin / coriander /GC / chemica / microbiological,
The present study highlighted some chemical, nutritional, microbiological, biological and essential oil characteristics ofthe Egyptian traditional cultivars for seeds of cumin (Cuminum cyminum)and coriander (Coriandrum sativum) spices as well as for basil whole herb (Ocimum basilicum) collected from different Egyptian export centers as being ready for export as fresh or dried by the methods applied in Egypt followed by their storage for 6 to 12 months in jute and polyethylene packages before their exposure to different irradiation treatments. Analysis were done on spices and their extracted essential oils (EOs). Essential minerals in fresh, dry and stored seed spices and herbs were found rich in K, Ca, Na, Fe and Zn and their daily consumption would cover either all or great part of human needs for these minerals. The microbiological load in fresh, dried and stored seed spices and herbs was found lower than those indicated by the Egyptian Specifications standard (ES) and the International Standards ISO specifications. Both plant extracts and EOs recovered from cumin, coriander and basil herbs, in the fresh, dry state and after their storage 6 to 12 months showed concentration-dependent inhibitory activity towards radical scavenging properties. Fresh, dried and dry-stored basil herb exhibited the highest DPPH scavenging activities, total phenolics and total flavonoids contents in both their ethanolic and EOs extracts compared to cumin and coriander seeds, but EOs from the tested three spices and herbs were more potent than their ethanol plant extracts. Sun drying of basil leaves was superior than shade and oven-dried methods as it exhibited the lowest loss in EOs yield after storage and higher linalool content (55%) after drying as well as after storage, especially when stored in jute packages. Yields in hydro-distilled EOs were the highest in dry, stored and irradiated cumin seeds while both coriander and basil herb had lower amounts. Total phenolics contents in ethanolic plant extracts for basil, cumin, coriander were not influenced greatly by storage conditions as the rateYo of change by storage was very slight. The change in total phenolic and totalflavonoids compounds due to drying was dependent on the method of drying used. The addition of cumin, coriander seeds and basil herb to the Egyptian food items, either fresh or dried, would increase the antioxidant activities and phenolic compounds content. Storage of seed spices and herbs influenced their EOs yield and brought about some quantitative and qualitative changes GC and GCA{S chromatographic characteristics of EOs. Cumin and coriander seeds stored for 6 months on jute packages showed an increase in the proportion of Cuminaldehyde and Linalool which would increase their oil quality index. Gas chromatography of extracted EOs from seeds of cumin and coriander as well as basil herbs indicated the presence of 29, 19 and 47 compounds, respectively, where Cuminaldehyde was the major component in cumin volatiles, but was linalool in volatiles of both coriander seeds and basil herbs. EOs of basil herbs grown in Egypt, were of the high Linalool-chemotype which are characterized by high contents of linalool and relatively lower amounts of eugenol. The chemical composition, microbial load, EOs yield, main components in fresh, dried, dry-stored and irradiated seeds of cumin and coriander as well as ba!?l'cultivfs were within the ranges indicated by both the ES and ISO specifications for these tested spices and herbs and their oils. Irradiation ofstored dry seed spices and dried basil treatments decreased EOs yield and brought about some quantitative and qualitative changes in EOs GC chromatographic characteristics in function of the inadiation dose applied and also in function of packaging material during irradiation, especially at 10 KGy dose.
2015
M.Sc
Benha
Agriculture