3 – Quality indices for spice essential oils

Abstract: Quality assurance of essential oils is imperative for therapeutic purposes, as well as to ensure authenticity and product quality. Natural variation in the quality of spices also affects the quality of their essential oils. There have been numerous approaches to the setting of quality standards for essential oils. This chapter reviews the major constituents of spice essential oils and common methods for their adulteration such as the addition of synthetic flavourants or edible and mineral oils, dilution with ethanol or blending with isolates with other natural essential oils. Methods for the detection of adulteration are also covered. Then the chapter gives an overview of the authentication of the botanical and geographical origin of essential oil by GC/MS of natural constituents, isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), site-specific natural isotope fractionation (such as 13 C, 14 C and 2 H) by NMR combined with IRMS, and DNA markers.

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