Abstract
Caraway seeds contain between 0.5–7% essential oil, rich in monoterpenes that have a characteristic aroma and chemical properties. Caraway oil has several bioactive compounds that are of industrial importance, particularly for pharmaceutical and health care products. Carvone and limonene are the main terpenes present in caraway oil, which along with some unique fatty acids (i.e. petroselinic acid) determine caraway (Carum carvi L.) oil quality. Both terpenes are important raw materials for industrial applications and their concentration influences the price of caraway seed and oil, hence there is need for identifying management practices that may increase the concentration of these and other bioactive compounds to improve caraway seed oil quality. A field experiment with five treatments: a control and a series of foliar-applied micronutrients (either Cu, Mg, Mn or Zn was done to identify their potential to enhance caraway oil quality. Solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector were used to characterize oil quality. Our results indicate that while the micronutrient treatments have a significant effect on essential oil composition, both in carvone and limonene, such an effect was not found on all fatty acids but only in two of them—palmitoleic and vaccenic acid—, which were highest after the Mn treatment. Overall, the carvone content of the seeds decreased the least between years following Mn treatment. Mn treatment also caused an increase in limonene in the second year in contrast to the trend for all other treatments. The Mn foliar spray needs to be studied further to elucidate whether it could have a consistent positive effect on caraway oil seed quality upon adjusting dosage and spraying time.
Highlights
Seed oils are synthesized during seed development
The aim of this research is to determine whether foliar-applied nutrient sprays of Cu, Mg, Mn, and Zn are effective in improving caraway oil quality
It is known that in experimental plots the yield is usually higher than at farm level (Van Dijk et al, 2017), our results indicate that there is some potential in the Mg treatment to increase the yield during the second year harvest
Summary
Seed oils are synthesized during seed development. Lipids stored in seeds are an excellent source of energy (giving twice the amount compared to carbohydrates) helping to maximize seed survival and germination, being a key characteristic for the ecological adapta tion of plants (Zhang et al, 2015).Seed oils are composed of long-chain hydrocarbons and stored in oil bodies in the mature seed tissue. Plant essential oils are valued to their wide range of bioactive use that include: herbicidal action on monocots, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-quorum sensing, anti-biofilm formation antifungal, antiviral, cytotoxic, cancer preven tive, antimutagenic activities (Raut and Karuppayil, 2014; Camele et al, 2019; Elshafie et al, 2020; Grul’ova et al, 2020). Caraway oil has distinct antifungal, antibacterial and antioxidant properties, having a wide range of uses in pharmaceutical, health care and cosmetics in dustry (Iacobellis et al, 2005; Laribi et al, 2009; Seidler-Łozykowska et al, 2013; Simic et al, 2008; Vallverdú-Queralt et al, 2015). Caraway oil is a valuable raw material for industrial use, which explain caraway being one of the most cultivated specialty crops (Seidler-Łozykowska et al, 2014; Wichtmann and Stahl-Biskup, 1987)
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