Abstract
The caraway fruit ( Carum carvi L.), usually referred to as seed, has an aromatic fresh taste and smell caused by an essential oil contained in ducts in the pericarp (2–7% of air-dry fruit weight). The oil consists mainly of the two monoterpenes s-(+)-carvone and s-(+)-limonene in approximately equal amounts. The carvone dominates the olfactory characteristic of caraway, and has been shown to be biologically active in inhibiting sprouting of tubers (potatoes), germination of seeds, and growth of certain fungi. A national R and D programme was started in 1990 with the aim of improving caraway essential oil and carvone production. This included strengthening the ongoing CPRO-DLO breeding research effort to maximise essential oil and carvone production potential. Carvone content in 2–5 g whole seed samples is reliably recorded by Near Infra-Red spectroscopy (NIR). Two generations of recurrent mass selection for high carvone content yielded a population 20% higher in content. The first Dutch variety of annual or spring caraway performed well in the past three years and is in the last year of variety registration research. Furthermore, plant physiological research was started to elucidate the relationships between carbohydrate availability and seed and essential oil production.
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