Aroma characterization of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) oil samples

Abstract

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) seeds from eight regions of India, labelled as S1 to S8 were examined for their volatile constitutents by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC–MS). GC–olfactometry (GC–O) was carried out for major compounds and odour profiling was done by trained panelists. Essential oil content of coriander samples ranged from 0.18 to 0.39%. The GC–MS analysis revealed presence of 30 compounds in coriander oil and around 98% of the compounds were identified in all the samples. Linalool which has floral and pleasant odour notes was the major compound (56.71–75.14%) in the essential oil, but the variation in the linalool content did not significantly affect the pleasantness of samples as perceived by the panelists. Higher α-pinene content of S7 and S8 could be related to the higher turpentine note. Sweet and rose-like odour notes of S1 could be due to occurrence of higher levels of geranyl acetate and lemonol. The odour profiling depicted the overall odour perceived, while the GC–O represented the odour notes of specific volatile compounds of coriander. Principal component analysis showed that samples S7 and S8 loaded with α-pinene, myrcene and undecanal. The results of GCO, sensory and PCA indicated possible association of major compounds with the intensity of characteristic odour notes perceived by the trained panel. Electronic nose pattern matching further complimented sensory and GC–MS results by showing segregation of samples. The study provides description of a few aroma notes in the coriander essential oil and the possibility of discriminating the aroma by sensory and instrumental methods.