Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
224643 | Journal of Food Engineering | 2010 | 8 Pages |
The influence of the drying method on volatile compounds of Origanum vulgare was evaluated. The drying methods tested were convective (CD) at 60 °C and vacuum-microwave (VMD), as well as a combination of convective pre-drying and VM finish-drying (CPD–VMFD). The volatile compounds of fresh and dried oregano were extracted by steam-hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC–MS. Oregano drying kinetics was described by a simple exponential model for CD and CPD–VMFD, while VMD kinetics consisted of two periods: linear until a critical point and exponential beyond that point. Thirty-four compounds were tentatively identified, with carvacrol, thymol, and γ-terpinene, being the major components. The total volatiles concentration of fresh oregano (33.0 g kg−1) decreased significantly during drying, independently of the method used (CD: 10.2 g kg−1, CPD–VMFD: 13.1 g kg−1, and VMD: 27.9 g kg−1). The final conclusion was that VM dehydrated Polish oregano was of better aromatic quality than that dried using hot air.