Evaluation, Estimation and Identification of Essential Oil Constituents in Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) Genotypes Grown in Western Rajasthan

Abstract

The aroma of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L) is due to the presence of aromatic volatile compounds. The flavor of cumin is judged by its volatile oil content. Cumin seeds of variety RZ-209 and GC-4 collected from western Rajasthan were used for screening of essential oil chemical constituents. The volatile oil content of RZ-209 and GC-4 was 4.0 % and 4.33 % respectively. Cuminaldehyde was found as major constituents in cumin essential oil. The GC-MS scan result reveals that RZ-209 variety contains slightly more cuminaldehyde (40.31 %) than GC-4 variety (38.50 %). Other phyto-chemical constituents were terpenic compounds and organic acids. The total phenolics content ranged from 101-109 mg GAE g^-1 seed while total flavonoid content were 65-67 mg QE g^-1 seed. 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging antioxidant activity expressed as IC₅₀ value was ranged from 14-16 mg/ml.

Key words:

• Spices
• Cumin
• Phyto-chemicals
• GC-MS
• Antioxidants