Effect of tau-irradiation on the volatile oil constituents of some Indian spices

The volatile essential oils of commercial samples of clove, cardamom and nu tmeg gamma-irradiated at 10 KGy for microbial decontamination were isolated by simultaneous distillation-extraction technique and then analysed by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) along with their nonirradiated counterparts. N o qualitative and major quantitative changes were observed in the essential oil constituents of irradiated clove and cardamom. However in case of irad iated nutmeg a 6-fold increase in the content of myristicin accompanied by a decrease of similar magnitude in elimicin content was noted. The possible impact of such changes on the sensory properties of nutmeg is discussed. ( C) 1999 Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology. Published by Els evier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.