Кмин римський

Cumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. It is an annual herbaceous plant that grows to 30-50 cm (12-20 in) tall and is harvested by hand. Cumin seeds have eight ridges with oil canals. The seeds are oblong in shape, longitudinally ridged and yellow-brown in color, and resemble caraway seeds. Cumin is sometimes confused with caraway (Carum carvi), another spice in the parsley family. Several other plants, among them Elwendia persica, Bunium bulbocastanum and Nigella sativa, are sometimes called black cumin.

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History

Cumin has been in use as a spice for thousands of years. It likely originated in Central Asia, Southwestern Asia or the Eastern Mediterranean. Seeds excavated in Syria were dated to the second millennium BC.

Production

India is the world's largest producer of cumin, accounting for about 70%. The other major cumin-producing countries are Syria (13%), Turkey (5%), UAE (3%), and Iran. India produced 856,000 tons of cumin seed in the 2020-2021 fiscal year. Cumin is a drought-tolerant tropical or subtropical crop that is vulnerable to frost.

Chemistry

Cuminaldehyde, cymene and terpenoids are the major volatile components of cumin oil. Cuminaldehyde (4-isopropylbenzaldehyde) is a natural organic compound with the molecular formula C₁₀H₁₂O. It is a benzaldehyde with an isopropyl group substituted in the 4-position. Cuminaldehyde is responsible for the characteristic aroma of cumin seed. Its own aroma is intense, spicy, cumin-like, green and herbal. Cuminaldehyde is a colorless oil with a boiling point of 235.5 °C.

In steam and water distilled Turkish cumin seed oils, the major compounds included cuminaldehyde at 19.25-27.02%. The same oils contained p-mentha-1,3-dien-7-al (4.29-12.26%), p-mentha-1,4-dien-7-al (24.48-44.91%), γ-terpinene (7.06-14.10%), p-cymene (4.61-12.01%) and β-pinene (2.98-8.90%). The main constituents that also determine the sensory properties of cumin oil are cuminaldehyde (15-46%), p-1,3-menthadien-7-al (2.8-22%) and p-1,4-menthadien-7-al (1.5-16%). Besides cuminaldehyde, the oil also contains α- and β-pinene, p-cymene, β-phellandrene and cuminyl alcohol. Other aroma compounds of toasted cumin are the substituted pyrazines 2-ethoxy-3-isopropylpyrazine, 2-methoxy-3-sec-butylpyrazine and 2-methoxy-3-methylpyrazine. Other components include γ-terpinene, safranal, p-cymene and β-pinene. The oil is quite sensitive to daylight, air, moisture and metals as well as alkali.

Cuminaldehyde is a precursor to another commercially important fragrance, cyclamen aldehyde. It can be prepared synthetically by the reduction of 4-isopropylbenzoyl chloride or by the formylation of cumene.

Uses

The seeds, each one contained within a dried fruit, are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole and ground form. Cumin oil may be used as an ingredient in some cosmetics. Cumin is used in traditional medicine, but there is no high-quality evidence that it is safe or effective as a therapeutic agent.