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Oregano spices and Origanum chemotypes
Author(s) -
Fleisher Alexander,
Sneer Naava
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740330508
Subject(s) - carvacrol , chemotype , origanum , essential oil , biology , food science , spice , population , botany , demography , electrical engineering , sociology , engineering
A high carvacrol content in essential oil is the key to the concept of the ‘oregano’ spice and is a prerequisite determining a plant's suitability for the preparation of this condiment. Origanum heracleoticum L., the main source of Greek oregano, is a chemically non‐uniform species. Within its wild population there are at least three chemo‐varieties which, although similar in their external appearance, differ in their odours. On the basis of their flavours and essential oil compositions, these varieties could be defined as marjoram, thyme and oregano‐types. The latter, which contains mainly carvacrol, is traditionally, and almost exclusively, collected for oregano spice preparation on the basis of its odour.