Culinary Herbs Research Articles

Home gardens in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: A promising approach to enhance household food security and well-being

Abstract. Ngcaba P, Maroyi A. 2021. Home gardens in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: A promising approach to enhance household food security and well-being. Biodiversitas 22: 4045-4053. The current study is aimed at documenting the diversity and composition of food plants cultivated and maintained in home gardens; and also assessing their role at enhancing household food security and well-being in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. This study was undertaken in six villages in the province, between June 2014 and March 2016. Information on socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the respondents, home garden practices, food plants grown and maintained in home gardens were collected by means of questionnaires and guided field walks with 129 respondents. A total of 32 edible plants belonging to 27 genera and 18 families were recorded. The main uses of plants grown and managed in home gardens were edible fruits or seeds (56.3%), leaves cooked as leafy vegetables (28.1%), edible bulbs, roots and tubers (21.9%), beverage, cereal, and culinary herb or spice (3.1% each). The most preferred species were Zea mays (64.3%), followed by Brassica oleracea (59.7%), Solanum tuberosum (58.9%), Spinacia oleracea (52.7%), Allium cepa (51.9%), Cucurbita moschata (44.2%), Capsicum annuum (38.0%), Cucurbita maxima (31.8%) and Daucas carota (31.0%). This study showed that home gardens can provide alternative sources of diverse and nutritious food to households, making home gardens an important agricultural resource for increasing food security in the province.

Garlic and Cardiovascular Disorders: A Current Review of Literature

Garlic, a member of the Allium family, widely used as culinary and medicinal herbs since ancient histories, displays aptly described anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Garlic’s therapeutic benefit is showed to be result of its constituent organosulfur compounds. Previous study reported garlic to possess several benefits on cardiovascular health including antihypertensive, anti-atherosclerotic, and antilipidemic activities. This review elaborates the phytochemical composition, pharmacological activities, mechanism of actions, and current clinical evidence of garlic in mitigating cardiovascular disease.

Detection of Stachybotrys chartarum isolates from faba beans dust during threshing.

Stachybotrys(S.)chartarumhad been related to dangerous health problems in animals and humans that take place when exposure to S.chartarum toxins.S. chartarumhad been isolated from various substrates, ranging from inappropriately stored feed and culinary herbs to damp buildings. To evaluate the pathogenic potential of isolates, it is essential to identify them with different methods. The occurrence and genetic diversity ofS. chartarum isolatesfrom faba beans dust during threshing in Upper Egypt were investigated. Low counts of Stachybotrys were found (six isolates) and identified morphologically by single-spore isolation and molecularly by the amplification of the specific internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd).The genetic diversity of the collected isolates was studied by specific genes random primer polymerase chain reaction (SGRP-PCR). The phylogenetic analysis of S. chartarum showed that the specific primers IT51 and StacR3 used by commercial laboratories for detecting S. chartarum were not able to differentiate species of S. chartarum from S. chlorohalonata and unweighted pair group method of arithmetic averages (UPGMA) cluster analysis of SGRP fragments confirmed this result. The six isolates of S. chartarum were analyzed for the presence of trichodiene synthase (Tri5) gene, which needed in the early stage of the trichothecene synthesis path. All the tested isolates were positive for the Tri5 gene. Further study on the taxonomic status of the epithet S. chartarum is necessary and presence of sub species to S. chartarum might be acceptable depending on the variations of morphological characteristics which were confirmed by molecular techniques.

Biofortification of Sodium Selenate Improves Dietary Mineral Contents and Antioxidant Capacity of Culinary Herb Microgreens.

Selenium biofortification of plants has been suggested as a method of enhancing dietary selenium intake to prevent deficiency and chronic disease in humans, while avoiding toxic levels of intake. Popular herbs such as basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), cilantro (Coriandrum sativum L.), and scallions (Allium fistulosum L.) present an opportunity for biofortification as these plants are used for added flavors to meals and are available as microgreens, young plants with increasing popularity in the consumer marketplace. In this study, basil, cilantro, and scallion microgreens were biofortified with sodium selenate under hydroponic conditions at various selenium concentrations to investigate the effects on yield, selenium content, other mineral contents (i.e., sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, iron, manganese, sulfur, and boron), total phenol content, and antioxidant capacity [oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC)]. The results showed that the selenium content increased significantly at all concentrations, with scallions demonstrating the largest increase. The effects on other minerals varied among herb species. Antioxidant capacity and total phenol content increased in all herbs at the highest selenium treatments, but basil and scallions demonstrated a decreased crop yield. Overall, these biofortified culinary herb microgreens are an ideal functional food for enhancing selenium, other dietary minerals, and antioxidants to benefit human health.

Bay Leaf

Bay leaf or bay laurel is a culinary herb obtained from the small evergreen tree Laurus nobilis L. (family Lauraceae). This plant is native to the Mediterranean region and enjoys widespread cultivation in the warm climates of the southern United States, Central America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. As a culinary herb, it is known to flavor numerous cuisines of Turkey, India, Italy, and France. It is a common component in the French mixture of herbs “bouquet garni” and is added to various dishes during cooking such as sauces, soups, stocks, casseroles, sausages, and stews and then removed before consumption. Many uses of bay leaf and its oil in traditional and folk medicines have been documented. These include as treatment of respiratory disorders and infections, gastrointestinal discomfort and irregularity, diarrhea, and amenorrhea and as an emetic, stimulant, and diuretic, to name a few. To date, few human studies have examined the health benefits of bay leaves. This narrative review summarizes relevant clinical trials and preclinical animal investigations, and highlights future research needs.

Effect of Different Animal Organic Manures on the Biometric and Nutrient Parameters of Coriandrum sativumL

In recent years, use of livestock manure and marine bio-waste has been advocated in integrated nutrient management (INM) system in vegetable crops. Poultry manure is an excellent organic fertilizer, is concentrated source of nitrogen and other essential nutrients. In the present study the culinary herb Coriandrum sativum which has medicinal property was selected as experimental plant whose biometric parameters were analyzed in different treatment pots amended with different organic poultry and fish manure. The productivity of Coriander is influenced by several factors such as soil, varieties, fertilizer management, and also various agro techniques used for growing crop. With this context in the present experimental study two animal wastes converted to organic manure by Eudrilus eugeniae-Worm into poultry and fish manure in organic farm of Rajapalayam District was purchased and amended in 2kg garden soil in selected ratios namely 25% (T2), 50%(T3),75%(T4) and 100%(T5). (T1) was maintained as control in which no amendment was made. Corainder seed were purchased from TNAU, Coimbatore. The experimental findings pertaining to the present investigation reveals the effect of poultry manure has been higher than fish manure on the growth parameters and NPK of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.). So the ultimate goal is to develop farming systems that are productive, energy conserving, environmentally sound conserving of natural resources such as soil and water and thus ensure food safety and quality. KEYWORDS: Manure, Coriander, Poultry and Eudrilus euginae

Evaluation of parsley (Petroselinum crispum) germplasm diversity from the Greek Gene Bank using morphological, molecular and metabolic markers

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) aromatic, edible leaves are used fresh or dried as a herb, but also for their pharmaceutical properties. Given the profound concern to high nutritious and pharmaceutical value of superior plant’s germplasm, a survey is presented in this study on the phenotypic, genetic and phytochemical characterization of fifteen Greek parsley landraces in comparison to nine commercial cultivars, all grown under the same conditions in Greece. Our data reported high differences between the Greek landraces and most of the commercial cultivars in a majority of morphological traits investigated according to the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants descriptors list. The genetic diversity of all landraces and commercial cultivars were investigated using Inter Simple Sequence Repeat and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism molecular markers. The percentage of polymorphic loci was 63.83 % for the cultivars, and all loci were polymorphic (100 %) for the Greek landraces, while considerably higher values of unbiased haploid gene diversity were revealed in the landraces compared with the commercial cultivars. The essential oil yield of the landraces and cultivars of parsley studied ranged from 0.11−0.26 mL 100 g−1 leaf FW. The major compounds in the parsley essential oils as determined by gas-chromatography were α-pinene (0.6–11.8%), β-pinene (0.2–8.2%), myrcene (1.3–13.5%), β-phellandrene (9.6–39.1 %), terpinolene (1.4–8.9 %), 1, 3, 8-p-menthatriene (0.1–43.4 %), cis-carveol (0.2–8.1 %), iso-dihydro carveol acetate (0.2–6.9 %), myristicin (0.51–44.4%) and apiole (0.01–35.2 %). According to the targeted liquid chromatographic analysis coumarin derivatives, hydrocinnamic acids, flavanones, flavones and flavonols were identified in parsley methanolic extracts. Flavones were represented by apigenin and luteolin derivatives, and flavonols by kaempferol, quercetin, galangin and morin. Apiin was the major flavone in all parsley samples ranging from 1732.57 to 3676.43 mg 100 g -1 dry weight.The wide variation in phenotypic, genetic and phytochemical profiles observed for the landraces, indicate that the Greek germplasm collection could serve as an important source of genetic material for plant breeding and selection towards the development of new cultivars with superior traits regarding their aroma quality and polyphenolic content but also to support ongoing studies on flavonoid biosynthesis in this culinary herb.

Phytopharmacognostic Evaluation and Fourier Transform Infrared Fingerprint in the Quality Control of Various Culinary Herbs: AN ULTIMATE REMEDY IN ASIA

Background: The quality and efficacy of culinary herbs commonly practiced in Asia as a remedy for seasonal illnesses such as cold, flu, congestion, fever and inflammation, etc. The extemporaneous preparations of these culinary herbs are being formulated as traditional practice either in the form of extract, decoction, and paste etc. These culinary herbs are being practiced for curing sporadic illnesses since ancient time.
 Objectives: In present study five herbs’ i.e. Elettaria cardamomum (cardamom), Cinnamomum zeylanicum (cinnamon), Carum carvi (caraway), Oreganum vulgare (oregano) and Syzygium aromaticum (clove) have been obtained from the market to assure quality of herbs in local market.
 Methodology: Various quality control tests including microscopic evaluation, physico-chemical characteristics, Thin layer chromatography (TLC) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) have been performed to determine their compliance with the standards. The TLC has been used for the identification of the active ingredients on comparison of their Rf values with the reference standard. FTIR Spectra of these materials have been obtained to identify and confirm structural information and assignment of functional groups.
 Results: Many of the herbal samples used in this study have been complied with the available official standards as given in Pharmacopoeia. If the samples did not comply with the standards then it indicates that the sample belongs to spurious quality of raw herb, which is the prime cause that may interfere with the therapeutic efficacy and variability of outcomes.
 Conclusion: This study help to provide a significant data to herbal drug manufacturers for authentication of commercially available herbs which may be used in the formulation of extemporaneous or commercially available herbal medicine.

Culinary herbs and spices in Nepal: A review of their traditional uses, chemical constituents, and pharmacological activities

Background: Herbs and spices have long been used for both food and medicinal purposes in different world civilizations. In Nepal, various herbs and spices are used for culinary purposes. In addition, a range of bioactive compounds present in herbs and spices have been associated with multiple beneficial health properties. This paper aims to illustrate the diverse availability of traditional herbs and spices used in Nepali cuisine with their traditional uses along with their major phytochemicals and pharmacological activities.Methods: Information related to traditional uses, chemical constituents and pharmacological activities were compiled from the published research articles, books, and book chapters.Results: This study documented 50 herbs and spices with their traditional uses, the phytochemicals present and their medicinal application. Numerous bioactive compounds are reported such as polyphenols, quinines, organosulfur compounds, flavonoids, alkaloids, polypeptides, etc. and these compounds possess diverse pharmacological activities. These herbs and spices were primarily studied for their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, hepatoprotective, and antipyretic activities.Conclusion: The different scientific studies highlighted in this review suggest that most of the health effects of herbs and spices are observed on various chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of culinary herbs and spices can act to improve the overall health system. There are nutraceutical potentials that may open new opportunities for herb and spices-based enterprises.Keywords: Spices, herbs, culinary, phytochemicals, medicine, health benefits

Integration of the metabolome and transcriptome reveals the metabolites and genes related to nutritional and medicinal value in Coriandrum sativum

Coriandrum sativum (Coriander) or Chinese parsley is a culinary herb with multiple medicinal effects, which is widely used in cooking and traditional medicine. It is enriched with essential oils and anti-oxidant compounds with unknown significance. To explore the untapped reservoir of Coriander, we studied the transcriptome and metabolic profiles from three developmental stages. Here, we identified 10 tyrosine metabolic pathway-related genes (TMPRGs), six porphyrins and chlorophyll metabolic pathway-related genes (PCMPRGs), and five Vitamin E metabolic pathway-related genes (VEMPRGs). These genes were associated with the early development of Coriander. Our analysis suggests that these pathways are involved in the production of critical phenolic metabolites. Furthermore, we constructed the interaction network between these pathway-related genes and transcription factors (TFs), which supported the regulatory pathways for phenolic metabolites. Interestingly, we identified several nutritional or medicinally relevant metabolites, including 59 phenols, two polyamines, 12 alkaloids, and one terpenoid. The higher concentrations of metabolites were from caffeic acid, agmatine, and its derivatives. We found higher levels of caffeic acid and agmatine at 30 days compared to 60 or 90 days. This study provides evidence to stimulate further investigation of the role of these metabolites in medicinal and nutritional research.

A systematic review on ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacological aspects of Thymus vulgaris Linn.

Thymus vulgaris Linn. is a medicinal and culinary herb from the Southern European region known for its anti-infective, cardioprotective, gastroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities since the Egyptian era. The reported pharmacological activities of T. vulgaris L. include antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anti-cancerous activities. In this review, a comprehensive approach is put forth to scrutinize and report the available data on phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology, pharmacology, and toxicology of the plant. The different extracts and essential oil obtained from the plant have been assessed and reported to treat ailments like microbial infections, inflammation, non-communicable diseases like cancer, and sexually transmitted diseases like HIV-1 and Herpes. The literature review has also indicated the use of volatile oils, phenolic acids, terpenoids, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, tannins, alkaloids, and polysaccharides in pharmacotherapy. Applications of these compounds including antidiabetic, anti-Alzheimer's, cardio, neuro and hepatoprotective, anti-osteoporosis, sedative, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, anti-tyrosinase, antispasmodic, antinociceptive, gastroprotective, anticonvulsant, antihypertensive, antidepressant, anti-amnesia, and anti-helminthic activities have been mentioned. Further, based on research gaps, recommendations have been provided to evaluate T. vulgaris L. systematically to develop plant-based drugs, nutraceuticals, and to evaluate their clinical efficiency and safety.

Effects of culinary herbs and spices on obesity: A systematic literature review of clinical trials

• Obesity has emerged as a global epidemic worldwide with limited treatment options. • Dietary constituents with anti-obesity potential can be considered to tackle obesity. • Culinary herbs and spices are significant dietary contributors of polyphenols. • Eight culinary herbs/spices were reported to significantly reduce obesity indices. • They were basil, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, garlic, ginger, nigella and turmeric. The aim of this article was to systematically review literature on clinical trials investigating the effects of culinary herbs and spices on obesity in adults. Relevant articles were searched through the electronic databases using predefined search terms. Thirty commonly used herbs and spices for weight loss were selected based on the literature. Out of 33 intervention studies that were eligible for inclusion in the review, 24 studies reported statistically significant (P < 0.05) reductions in obesity indices either compared to baseline or to the placebo. Overall, eight herbs/spices were reported to be beneficial in regards to obesity in the eligible literature including basil (on BW and BMI), cardamom (on BW, BMI and WC), cinnamon (on BW, BMI, BFP and WC), coriander (on BMI), garlic (on BMI and WC), ginger (on BW, BMI, WC and HC), nigella (on BW, BMI, WC, BFP and HC) and turmeric (on BW, BMI, BFP and WC).

Setting Up a Lab-Scale Pilot Plant to Study the New Growing System (NGS®) for Leafy Vegetable and Culinary Herb Growth

New cultural techniques have been developed to improve the yield and raw material quality at harvest, and enhance the postharvest shelf life, by standardizing the growing system. Among the different Soilless Cultivation Systems, the New Growing System (NGS®) is a closed-recirculating system that was designed for open fields and protected cultivations. The aim of this work was to investigate the structural setting of the system and its functioning to harness the full potentiality of NGS®. A lab-scale pilot plant (LSPP) was designed with NGS® technology and the technical aspects have been set up to have a standardized and reproducible growing system. The trials were conducted on growing mature-leaf vegetable species; that is, on both head and multi-leaf vegetables, and on culinary herbs at high plant densities. Positive yield results were found for culinary herbs and leafy vegetables. Mints showed high yields for the two re-growths carried out after the first harvest. The LSPP can also be used in a series of reliable experiments and enable researches to test several species, substrates, hydroponic nutrient solutions, and fertigation scheduling.

Regular consumption of "Nkui", a Cameroonian traditional dish, may protect against cardiovascular and bone disorders in an estrogen deficiency condition.

There is a growing body of evidence indicating the potential of culinary herbs and spices to decrease the incidence of several chronic diseases or conditions. Because of this, the WHO recommends their regular consumption. In the Cameroonian culinary practices, "Nkui" is a famous dish made from a mixture of 10 spices. In our previous study, theethanolic extract of this mixture exhibited promising estrogenic properties. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate its protective effects on some menopause-related cardiovascular and bone disorders. For this purpose, a post-menopause-like model (ovariectomized rats) has been used. Animals were orally treated with the "Nkui" extract for 60days. The investigation focused on the oxidative stress status, endothelial function (NO bioavailability), lipid profile, and bone mass, biochemical (calcium and inorganic phosphorus contents, serum alkaline phosphatase activity) and histomorphological features. The extract regulated lipid metabolism in a way to prevent accumulation of abdominal fat, gain in body weight and increased atherogenic indexes induced by ovariectomy. It prevented menopause-related low levels of nitric oxide and oxidative stress damage by increasing superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, while reducing glutathione and malondialdehyde levels in the heart and aorta. Moreover, it prevented ovariectomy-induced bone mass loss, bone marrow disparities and the disorganization of the trabecular network. It also increased femur calcium and inorganic phosphorus contents. These results suggest that a regular consumption of "Nkui" may have health benefits on cardiovascular system and osteoporosis, major health issues associated with menopause.

Daily Light Integral Influences Rooting of Herbaceous Stem-tip Culinary Herb Cuttings

Domestic production of culinary herbs continues to increase in the United States. Culinary herbs are primarily propagated by seed; however, some herbs have poor germination rates and slow growth. Thus, there are advantages of propagating herbs by vegetative stem-tip cuttings as they lead to true-to-type plants and a shortened production time. Previous research of ornamental young plants and finished culinary herbs have shown a reduction in rooting time and increases in plant quality with increases in the photosynthetic daily light integral (DLI). To our knowledge, little to no research has addressed how the DLI influences culinary herb liner quality. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to quantify morphological traits of five economically important culinary herbs when grown under DLIs ranging from 2.8 to 16.4 mol·m−2·d−1. Stem-tip cuttings of Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare var. hirtum), rosemary ‘Arp’ (Rosmarinus officinalis), sage ‘Extrakta’ (Salvia officinalis), spearmint ‘Spanish’ (Mentha spicata), and thyme ‘German Winter’ (Thymus vulgaris) were excised from stock plants and rooted under no shade or aluminum shading of 36%, 56%, or 76% to create a range of DLI treatments. After 9 days (spearmint) or 16 days (all other genera) of DLI treatments, the root, shoot, and total dry mass of all culinary herb liners generally increased by 105% to 449%, 52% to 142%, and 82% to 170%, respectively, as the DLI increased from 2.8 to 16.4 mol·m−2·d−1 or genus-specific DLI optimums. Stem length of oregano, spearmint, and thyme decreased by 37%, 28%, and 27%, respectively, as the DLI increased from 2.8 to 16.4 mol·m−2·d−1. However, stem length of rosemary and sage were unaffected by the DLI. The quality index of all genera was greatest at DLIs from 10.4 to 16.4 mol·m−2·d−1. Furthermore, all culinary herbs grown under a DLI of ≤6 mol·m−2·d−1 had low root and shoot dry mass accumulation; and oregano, spearmint, and thyme were generally taller. Therefore, DLIs between 10 to 12 mol·m−2·d−1 should be maintained during culinary herb propagation, because a DLI ≥16 mol·m−2·d−1 may be deleterious and energy inefficient if supplemental lighting use is increased.

Modeling growth and development of hydroponically grown dill, parsley, and watercress in response to photosynthetic daily light integral and mean daily temperature.

In controlled environments, crop models that incorporate environmental factors can be developed to optimize growth and development as well as conduct cost and/or resource use benefit analyses. The overall objective of this study was to model growth and development of dill ‘Bouquet’ (Anethum graveolens), parsley ‘Giant of Italy’ (Petroselinum crispum), and watercress (Nasturtium officinale) in response to photosynthetic daily light integral (DLI) and mean daily temperature (MDT). Plants were grown hydroponically in five greenhouse compartments with MDTs ranging from 9.7 to 27.2 °C under 0%, 30%, or 50% shade cloth to create DLIs ranging from 6.2 to 16.9 mol·m‒2·d‒1. MDT and DLI interacted to influence dill fresh mass and height, and watercress maximum quantum yield of dark adapted leaves (Fv/Fm), height, and branch number while only MDT affected dill leaf number and watercress fresh mass and branch length. Besides dry matter concentration (DMC), parsley was influenced by MDT and not DLI. Increasing MDT from ≈10 to 22.4 °C (parsley) or 27.2 °C (dill and watercress), linearly or near-linearly increased fresh mass. For dill, increasing DLI decreased fresh mass when MDT was low (9.7 to 13.9 °C) and increased fresh mass when MDT was high (18.4 to 27.2 °C). DMC of dill, parsley, and watercress increased as MDT decreased or DLI increased, indicating a higher proportion of plant fresh mass is water at higher MDTs or lower DLIs. With these data we have created growth and development models for culinary herbs to aid in predicting responses to DLI and MDT.

Evaluation of the Single and Combined Antibacterial Efficiency of the Leaf Essential Oils of Four Common Culinary herbs: Dill, Celery, Coriander and Fennel Grown in Jordan

This study aimed to determine the volatile oil composition of the fresh leaves of dill, celery, coriander, and fennel, grown in Jordan, and to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the essential oils individually and in binary (50:50) and quaternary (25:25:25:25) mixtures. The volatile oils, obtained by hydrodistillation, were analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In vitro antimicrobial activities of the essential oils were evaluated against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. Using the microtiter plate dilution method minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the essential oils were determined and the checkerboard method was then used to investigate the antimicrobial efficacy of the essential oil combinations by means of the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI). Dill and celery samples were rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons, while the oils of fennel and coriander were dominated by non-terpenoid compounds. In antimicrobial experiments, the essential oil of dill yielded the best activity against all tested microorganisms. In binary combination of the essential oils, best results were detected in a combination of dill with coriander against B. subtilis and P. aeruginosa, and fennel with coriander against E. coli and P. aeruginosa. The present study is the first evaluation of the volatile oil composition and determination of the antimicrobial activities of the fresh leaves of dill, celery, coriander, and fennel in binary and quaternary combinations. Additive or synergistic effects were detected in certain binary oil combinations while indifferent and antagonist effects were noticed in other mixtures.

The Application of Essential Oil Vapors at the End of Vacuum Cooling of Fresh Culinary Herbs Promotes Aromatic Recovery.

Aroma is an important quality parameter of fresh culinary herbs that may be highly affected after postharvest treatments. The innovative technology of vapor essential oil (EO) application under vacuum conditions may recover aroma lost during the postharvest processing of plant products like aromatic herbs. Hence, this study assessed the aroma recovery effect of vapor EOs applied during vacuum cooling on curly parsley and dill. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) profiles of these aromatic herbs were studied by static headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and the VOCs sorption kinetics onto the SPME stir-bar coating were modeled by the Baranyi model. At the pilot plant scale, the total VOCs contents of parsley and dill (whose extractability was increased by 10–20% after a single vacuum process) were enhanced by 4.5- and 2-fold, respectively, when vapor EOs were applied. In particular, 1,3,8-p-menthatriene and carvone (parsley) increased by 18.7- and 7.3-fold, respectively, while dill ether (the characteristic VOC of dill) augmented by 2.4-fold after vapor EOs were applied under vacuum conditions. The aroma recovery of culinary herbs was successfully validated at an industrial level in an installation developed by our group to apply vapor EOs within a vacuum cooling system, reaching total VOC recoveries of 4.9- and 2.3-fold in parsley and dill, respectively.

A Comprehensive Review on the Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicology of Mentha aquatic L (water mint) as a Wild Shallow Vegetable.

Mentha spp. are aromatic plants and have been used in the medical, cosmetics, and food industries. These plants have been used as a traditional herbal medicine for various types of diseases. Mentha aquatica L. (water mint) is a perennial plant used as a wild vegetable and a culinary herb. As its name suggests, it grows in the shallow margins and channels of streams, rivers, wet meadows, etc. It has been used as a tonic plant, sedative, and soothing for intestinal parasites, constipation, diarrhea, stomach troubles, biliousness, liver diseases, impotence, low or high blood pressure, and expelling intestinal worms in children, enhancing longevity. Researchers from all over the world have studied the chemical composition and pharmacological activities of this plant, such as its anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant activities. In addition, the neurochemical properties, larvicidal activity, and phytochemical analysis of the plant have also been reported. However, there is no review article available that gathers all the information and provides insights for future studies on M. aquatica. Against this backdrop, the present research is conducted to categorize the published studies and to offer more suggestions to researchers for future studies.

Leveraging Controlled-Environment Agriculture to Increase Key Basil Terpenoid and Phenylpropanoid Concentrations: The Effects of Radiation Intensity and CO2 Concentration on Consumer Preference.

Altering the radiation intensity in controlled environments can influence volatile organic compound (VOC) biosynthetic pathways, including those of terpenoids and phenylpropanoids. In turn, the concentrations of these compounds can have a profound effect on flavor and sensory attributes. Because sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a popular culinary herb, our objectives were to (1) determine the extent radiation intensity and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration influence seedling terpenoid and phenylpropanoid concentrations; (2) determine if differences in phenylpropanoid and terpenoid concentrations influence consumer preference; and (3) characterize consumer preferences to better inform production and marketing strategies. “Nufar” sweet basil was grown with CO2 concentrations of 500 or 1,000 μmol ⋅ mol–1 under sole-source radiation intensities of 100, 200, 400, or 600 μmol ⋅ m–2 ⋅ s–1 with a 16 h photoperiod to create daily light integrals of 6, 12, 23, and 35 mol ⋅ m–2 ⋅ d–1. After 2 weeks, concentrations of the terpenoids 1,8 cineole and linalool and the phenylpropanoids eugenol and methyl chavicol were quantified, and consumer sensory panel evaluations were conducted to quantify preferences. Overall, increasing radiation intensity from 100 to 600 μmol ⋅ m–2 ⋅ s–1 increased 1,8 cineole, linalool, and eugenol concentrations 2. 4-, 8. 8-, and 3.3-fold, respectively, whereas CO2 concentration did not influence VOCs. Contrary to our hypothesis, increased VOC concentrations were not correlated with consumer preference. However, overall liking was correlated with aftertaste and flavor. The conclusion that consumer preference is dependent on flavor can be drawn. However, increasing VOC concentrations to increase flavor did not improve flavor preference. Many consumer sensory preference characteristics (favorable preference for aftertaste, bitterness/sweetness, color, flavor, overall liking, and texture) were correlated with basil grown under a radiation intensity of 200 μmol ⋅ m–2 ⋅ s–1. This led us to determine that consumers prefer to detect the characteristic basil flavor made up of 1,8 cineole, eugenol, and linalool, which was not as prevalent in basil grown under 100 μmol ⋅ m–2 ⋅ s–1, but too high in basil grown under 400 and 600 μmol ⋅ m–2 ⋅ s–1, which led to lower consumer preference.