Physico-thermal and Flavoring Characteristics of Essential Oil of Cassia

摘要

The present study investigates the physico-thermal and flavoring characteristics of essential oil of cassia. Cryogenic grinding of the cassia barks was done at -97 degrees C to obtain cassia powder. The essential oil was derived by the hydrodistillation of the cryo-ground cassia powder. Thermal properties of the oil were determined using Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and thermal property analyzer, whereas, flavoring components were analyzed by Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The physical properties of the essential oil viz., bulk density and specific gravity were 1015 kg/m(3) and 1.01, respectively. Furthermore, the thermal properties viz., bulk thermal conductivity, bulk thermal resistivity, melting point, latent heat of fusion, specific heat, bulk thermal diffusivity, and glass transition temperature of the cassia oil were 0.187 W/m.K, 5.387 K.m/W, -10.11 to 0.76 degrees C, 14.913 kJ/kg, 1.148 kJ/kg.K, 1.60x10(-7) m(2)/s, and -79.39 degrees C, respectively. Volatile oil content of the powder was 2.84 % (w/w) with a minimal total color difference. Trans-cinnamaldehyde was identified as the major component among 40 flavoring components of the essential oil.