Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXIV, Issue 2
Written by Delia-Gabriela DUMBRAVĂ, Diana-Nicoleta RABA, Ileana COCAN, Camelia MOLDOVAN, Mirela-Viorica POPA, Mariana-Atena POIANĂ, Mărioara DRUGĂ, Carmen Daniela PETCU
Basil (Ocimum basilicum), lovage (Levisticum officinale) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) are aromatic plants highly valued and used by consumers around the world for the flavor they give to the foods in which are added. Because these plants are not always available fresh on the market, in order to be able to enjoy them longer, many consumers choose to either dry or freeze them at home. The purpose of this paper was to study the influence of traditional drying (for 7 days in dark room, at a temperature of 20-22°C) and freezing (at -18°C) on the content of vitamin C, chlorophylls and carotenoids from basil, lovage and thyme leaves. Vitamin C content was determined by iodometric method, and concentration of chlorophylls and carotenoids by a spectrophotometric assay. The determinations were performed on fresh plants, immediately after the drying process and at 2 months of storage in a dry state, respectively after 7days of freezing and after 2 months of storage in the freezer. In fresh samples, the highest concentration of vitamin C was found in lovage, followed by thyme. Fresh lovage also showed the highest content of chlorophyll and carotenoid. The experimental data showed that in the preserved plants the content of vitamin C, chlorophylls and carotenoids decreases, compared to the fresh ones, the losses being higher after the traditional air drying, than after freezing process. For both dried and frozen plants, a decrease in the concentration of the compounds mentioned above was found after 2 months of storage under specific conditions, but the losses were higher during the storage of dried plants.
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