A Review on Phytochemistry of Cuminum cyminum seeds and its Standards from Field to Market

The small boat shaped seeds of Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) has been used for many medicinal and culinary purposes from the ancient time in the various countries. Cumin is a popular spice in the world from Latin America to Northern Africa and all over the Asia and also used as a flavoring agent in many products such as cheese, pickle, soup, bean dishes or liqueurs. Essential oils of the seeds are also used as a flavor or in aromatherapy. Many pharmacological effects have been reported from this spicy plant as, anti-diabetic, Immunologic, anti-epileptic, anti-tumor and antimicrobial activities. Cumin used in the medicinal preparations is supposed to be produced with high quality encompasses all the properties of the final product which makes it optimal suitable for use. Reproducible quality is a goal, which achieved by the process of standardization. The focus here is rather on harvesting and processing of the cultivated species, because the quality of plant material and processing technology lead to the high quality of the final product. The quality of Cumin seeds and its essential oil can only be assessed with analytical methods, which include physical, microscopic and chemical analyzing assays. In this paper, the phytochemistry, medicinal properties and the standards from the field cultivation, harvesting and storage until marketing are reviewed.