Читать книгу Food Chemistry. The Role of Additives, Preservatives and Adulteration онлайн

48 страница из 126

The essential oils are the liquids that are extracted from the plant materials (such as fruits, flowers, barks, and peel), which are aromatic and volatile in nature. There are many uses of essential oils such as in medicine, perfumes, cosmetics, and as food spice and preservative. The initial use of essential oil was in medicine in the 19th century then they were used as odor and flavor ingredients and their business and usage increased in this field and became the priority. Out of 3,000 essential oils which are known yet, 300 out of them are used in the fragrances and flavor industry.

Essential oils has antimicrobial properties so they are regarded as secondary metabolites and they are essential for flora defense. Secondary metabolites “antimicrobial” property was tested by using vapors of essential oils by De la in 1881. From then, essential oils have been proved as the greatest examples that shows this property [94], and not only antimicrobial but also insecticidal, antiparasitic and antioxidant properties too. They act as the builders for the growth of animals.