Куркума

Plant and origin

Turmeric is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It requires temperatures between 20 and 30 °C and high annual rainfall to thrive. The rhizomes are often boiled in water and dried, after which they are ground into a deep orange-yellow shelf-stable spice powder.

Chemistry of the oil

Turmerones are a group of related sesquiterpene compounds. They are found in turmeric, from which they derive their name. They include α-turmerone, β-turmerone (also known as curlone) and ar-turmerone. In a sample from Nepal, the most abundant compounds of the oil were ar-turmerone (25.5%), α-turmerone (24.4%) and β-turmerone (14.0%). Other major volatiles of the oil are β-sesquiphellandrene, α-zingiberene, germacrone, terpinolene, ar-curcumene and α-phellandrene. Hundreds of compounds have been identified from turmeric oils. Research on rhizome oils from various geographic locations has identified four distinct clusters based on the relative concentrations of turmerones. Differences in genotype, harvest time, extraction procedure and maturity of the rhizome all contributed to variations in the chemical composition of Curcuma essential oils.

Curcumin

Curcumin is a bright yellow chemical produced by Curcuma longa. It is the principal curcuminoid of turmeric. Its chemical formula is C₂₁H₂₀O₆. Chemically, curcumin is a polyphenol, more particularly a diarylheptanoid. Curcumin makes up an average of 3.14% by weight of assayed commercial samples of turmeric powder.

Uses

Turmeric is approved for use in the European Union and other countries as a food color, assigned the code E100. It is used to give a yellow color to some prepared mustards, canned chicken broths and other foods, often as a less-expensive substitute for saffron. The ground rhizome is commonly used as a coloring and flavoring agent in many Asian cuisines, especially for curries. The powder has a warm, bitter, black pepper-like flavor.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

—

Related: Cardamom · Ginger · Siam Cardamom