Curcuma Aromatica

SCIENTIFIC CORRESPONDENCE
Major constituents in leaf essential oils of Curcuma longa L. and

Curcuma aromatica Salisb.
Curcuma longa L. var. Rasmi and Cur- 10 min followed by increase of 3°C/min pound is used as an expectorant, antisep-
cuma aromatica Salisb. var. Bataguda to 200°C and kept at 200°C for 13 min]. tic, stain remover in dry-cleaning fluids,
(Zingiberaceae) are the most commer- Major volatile constituents were identi- nose and throat spray, and also for the
cially cultivated spice crops of India for fied on the chromatogram by comparing manufacture of cheap deodorant and cop-
the production of turmeric, and are indi- their retention time with authentic com- per-ore floatation11,12. Cineole imparts
genous to southern Asia. Rhizome of C. pounds. Average plant height, tiller num- the camphory note in the species. 1,8-
longa has been used in Indian systems of ber, number of leaves per tiller, rhizome cineole is also present in leaf oils of C.
medicine as an antiseptic, carminative, weight and percentage of rhizome and harmandii as reported recently13. In C.
stomachic, appetizer and tonic1. The cured, leaf oil of both the species were obser- aromatica, linalool is a specific com-
dried and ground rhizomes provide tur- ved; they were not significantly different. ponent that has been reported earlier10.
meric powder which is used as a support- Leaf samples of C. longa and C. aro- Both the hydrocarbons (α and β-pinene)
ing constituent of curry powders and as a matica on hydrodistillation yielded 1.32 are more in C. aromatica, and contribute
food colourant. C. aromatica from C. and 1.00% essential oil respectively, con- to the turpentine-like odour, and in pro-
longa by its pleasant, camphoraceous taining α-phellandrene (38.24%), C8- ducing terpene chemicals which are abun-
aroma of the rhizome3 is used to cure aldehyde (20.58%), 1,8-cineole (8.64%), dantly used in cosmetics and in the
pimples, whitening of skin and also as α-pinene (2.88%) and β-pinene (2.36%) pharmaceutical industry12. Earlier, p-
blood purifier; but it is not used as a in C. longa, and 1,8-cineole (28.01%), cymene was listed as a major constituent,
condiment due to its bitterness4. linalool (7.67%), α-pinene (4.74%), β- except in the C. longa leaf oil from Nige-
The essential oil of turmeric rhizome pinene (3.70%) and C8-aldehyde (2.62%) rian origin2. In earlier reports, terpino-
has been studied in detail by a number of in C. aromatica, as confirmed by GLC lene was a major constituent of C. longa
workers5,6, and the main constituents analysis (Table 1). The major compounds leaf oil2,5,7,8, whereas this turmeric leaf
were ar-turmerone, turmerol and atlan- of C. longa leaf oil samples were α- oil appears to be devoid of the compo-
tone6. Leaves of Curcuma species are a phellandrene and C8-aldehyde. Such pre- nent. Previous reports10,13 on the compo-
waste product during post-harvest opera- dominance of C8-aldehyde is novel. In C. sition of leaf oils of C. harmandii and C.
tions. Traditionally, the leaves of C. aromatica, the major compounds are 1, aromatica show the presence of ger-
longa are extensively used in culinary 8-cineole (28.01%) and linalool (7.67%). macrone, camphor and curdione as the
preparation, are aromatic and contain These are responsible for using this spe- main constituents, whereas these are absent
essential oil. There are a few reports on cies as raw material for making perfumes in both the leaf oils.
leaf oil from different origins2,5,7. How- unlike the use of C. longa as a con- A comparison of C. longa L. var.
ever, no information is known about the diment. Rasmi leaf oil with other oils from dif-
constituents of C. longa var. Rasmi and α-phellandrene is present in greater ferent origins shows a significant differ-
C. aromatica Salisb. var. Bataguda leaf amounts in C. longa var. Rasmi like in ence. The Nigerian oil of C. longa leaf
oils, which were collected from high alti- other samples of C. longa from different contained more α-phellandrene, whereas
tude research station, Orissa and con- origins2,8. 1,8-cineole is a major compo- in this sample 1,8-cineole and p-cymene
served in the Aromatic and Medicinal nent in C. aromatica leaf oil, which is were significantly higher. C. aromatica
Plants Division, Regional Research Labo- identical with reports published earlier10 Salisb. var. Bataguda also shows a sig-
ratory (RRL) Bhubaneswar, India. The and it is also a major component in C. nificant difference in the constituents when
present study was aimed at an investiga- longa from different origins. This com- compared with other varieties (from
tion of the major constituents of leaf oils Assam). These variations may be due to
in both the Curcuma species. geographical and climatic conditions,
Leaves of C. longa L. var. Rasmi and Table 1. Leaf oil composition of C. longa and also due to different cultivars. It
var. Rasmi and C. aromatica Salisb.
C. aromatica Salisb. were collected from seems that both the leaf oils may find
var. Bataguda
the experimental garden of RRL (20°17′ applications in pharmaceutical, perfum-
45″ N lat. and 85°49′15″ E long.) during Major C. longa C. aromatica ery, soap and cosmetics industries. Until
December 1997 and 1998. Collected leaves constituents (%) (%) the contribution of individual compounds,
were cut into small pieces and distilled alone and in interaction, is established in
α-pinene 2.88 4.77
by hydrodistillation using Clevenger’s β-pinene 2.36 3.70 leaf oils of Curcuma species, it is diffi-
apparatus. GLC analysis was carried out Sabinene 0.40 0.68 cult to characterize and commercialize
in Perkin–Elmer auto-system fitted with Myrcene 1.17 0.39 the oils as raw material for perfumery
capillary column carbowax 20 m of 50 m α-phellandrene 38.24 1.40 and pharmaceutical industries.
1,8-cineole 8.64 28.01
length flux ionization detector, Okidata p-cymene 6.05 1.45
320 recorded digital computer DEC sta- C8-aldehyde 20.58 2.62 1. Nigam, M. C. and Ahmed, A., Indian
tion feed with Turbochrom-3 software Linalool 0.58 7.67 Perfum., 1991, 35, 255–257.
and nitrogen as carrier gas. Samples of Caryophyllene 0.70 2.01 2. Oguntimein, B. O., Weyerstahl, Peter,
essential oil were analysed by tempera- Geraniol 1.77 1.28
Methyl heptanone 0.05 – Weyerstahl and Marschall, H., Flavour
ture programming of GC [60°C for Fragrance J., 1990, 5, 89–90.
1312 CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 83, NO. 11, 10 DECEMBER 2002

SCIENTIFIC CORRESPONDENCE
3. Velayudhan, K. C., Muralidharan, V. K. 10. Sharma, R. K., Misra, B. P., Sarma, T. C., Received 9 June 2000; revised accepted 7
and Amalaraj, V. A., J. Econ. Tax. Bot., Bordoloe, A. K., Pathak, M. G. and Le- October 2002
1990, 14, 579–582. clerq, P. A., ibid, 1997, 9, 589–
4. Baruah, P. and Sarma, G. C., ibid, 1987, 592.
11, 71–76. 11. Verma, V. P. S., Shiva, M. P., Suki, R. K.
5. McCarron, M., Mills, A. J., Whittaker, and Subramanyan, I. V., Indian For., SAKUNTALA BEHURA*
D., Sunny, T. P. and Verghese, J., Fla- 1978, 104, 846. S. SAHOO
vour Fragrance J., 1995, 10, 355–357. 12. Panda, R. and Panda, H., ibid, 1987, 113, V. K. SRIVASTAVA†
6. Zwaving, J. H. and Bos, R., ibid, 1992, 7, 434–440.
19–22. 13. Dung, N. X., Truong, P. X., Ky, T. Pham Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Division,
7. Dung, N. X., Tuyet, N. T. B. and Le- and Leclerq, P. A., J. Essent. Oil Res., Regional Research Laboratory,
clercq, P. A., J. Essent. Oil Res., 1995, 7, 1997, 9, 677–681. Bhubaneswar 751 013, India
701–703. †
Germplasm Evaluation Division,
8. Ramachandraiah, O. S., Azeemoddin, G.
National Bureau of Plant Genetic
and Krishnama Charyulu, J., Indian Per- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. We thank the
fum., 1998, 42, 124–127. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Resources,
9. Choudhury, S. N., Ghosh, A. C., Saikia, for the Research Associate fellowship and Pusa Campus,
M., Choudhury, M. and Leclercq, P. A., Prof. H. S. Ray, Director, RRL for encour- New Delhi 110 012, India
J. Essent. Oil Res., 1996, 8, 633–638. agement during the work. *For correspondence
Porphyra – the economic seaweed as a new experimental system

Marine algae, popularly known as sea- found that the plant has much more poten- completely revolutionized the Porphyra
weeds, are sources of food, fodder, ferti- tial and can be used as an experimental industry in Japan and subsequently
lizer, medicine and chemicals1. World system like Arabidopsis thaliana in the throughout Asia.
trade in seaweed and its products was val- higher plants, some aspects of which are Porphyra reproduces by both sexual and
ued at US $ 50 million in 1970, US $ 250 discussed here. asexual modes of reproduction. In sexual
million in 1990 and US $ 6.2 billion in Nearly 133 species of Porphyra have reproduction, certain mature vegetative
1999 (refs 1 and 2). About 20,000 marine been reported from all over the world, cells of the thallus get differentiated into
algae species are distributed throughout which includes 28 species from Japan, 30 carpogonia, and others on the same or
the world, out of which only 221 species from North Atlantic coasts of Europe and different thallus get differentiated into
are utilized commercially. These include America and 27 species from the Paci- colourless spermatangia. After fertili-
145 species for food and 110 species for fic coast of Canada and United States8. zation, the carpogonia divides to form
phycocolloid production1. Porphyra (Ban- Although seven species have been reported packets of spores called zygotospores
giales, Rhodophyta) popularly known as from the Indian coast, these are not being (carpospores). After release, the zygoto-
‘Nori’ in Japan, ‘Kim’ in Korea and ‘Zicai’ exploited commercially9. The genus Por- spores usually germinate unipolarly to
in China has an annual value of over US phyra has a simple morphology. The produce the filamentous conchocelis
$ 1.8 billion3. Porphyra is primarily used plants are either round, round to ovate, phase. The conchocelis can survive in
as food, wrapped around the Japanese obovate, linear or linear lanceolate (Figure adverse environmental conditions, but
delicacy ‘Sushi’ which consists of roas- 1 a–d). Individuals can also have blades give rise to conchosporangia and concho-
ted blades, raw fish, rice and other ingre- that may be divided into male and female spores under suitable conditions. The con-
dients. The alga is not only delicious but sections10, or have a sectored morphology11. chospores germinate by bipolar modes to
also contains high levels of protein (25– The plants can grow from 5 to 35 cm in give rise to young chimeric thalli, thus
50%), vitamins (higher vitamin C than in length. The thalli are either one or two completing the life cycle (Figure 2 ).
oranges), trace minerals and dietary fibres4. cells thick, and each cell has one or two In asexual reproduction, the vegetative
The plant contains nearly 17 types of stellate chloroplasts with a pyrenoid. cells in some species directly form the
free amino acids, including taurine which Porphyra has a heteromorphic life cycle spores called archeospores which can
controls blood cholesterol levels5. The with an alternation between a macroscopic directly germinate to form the thallus13
alga is a preferred source of the red pig- foliose thallus which is the gametophytic (Figure 1 i). Recently, it has been found
ment r-phycoerythrin, which is utilized phase, and a filamentous sporophyte called that besides these two modes of repro-
as a fluorescent ‘tag’ in the medical diag- conchocelis phase. This diploid concho- duction, Porphyra also reproduces by
nostic industry6. Porphyra has been cul- celis phase in the life cycle was earlier endosporangia or endospores which ulti-
tivated for the past hundred years in Japan thought to be Conchocelis rosea, a shell- mately give rise to the thallus14.
and today it is one of the largest aquacul- boring organism. However, it was Drew Different stages in the life cycle can be
ture industries in Japan, Korea and in 1949 who demonstrated in culture that manipulated both in the laboratory as
China6. Because of its economic impor- P. umbilicalis (L.) Kütz had a diploid well as on an industrial scale. Large-scale
tance and other health benefits, Porphyra conchocelis phase12. Until this landmark conchocelis are being cultured in suitable
cultivation is now being expanded to work concholeis was considered as an environmental conditions by different Nori
other countries7. Recently, it has been independent organism. These findings companies. Massive amount of con-
CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 83, NO. 11, 10 DECEMBER 2002 1313

Curcuma Aromatica

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SCIENTIFIC CORRESPONDENCE

Major constituents in leaf essential oils of Curcuma longa L. and

1312 CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 83, NO. 11, 10 DECEMBER 2002

Porphyra – the economic seaweed as a new experimental system

CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 83, NO. 11, 10 DECEMBER 2002 1313

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