01
The definition of spices
Spice refers to a specific part of a plant that has natural taste or odor properties and can be used as a food seasoning or seasoning. It is a type of edible plant spice that can present characteristic odors such as fragrance, spiciness, numbness, spiciness, bitterness, and sweetness in food. Overall, it is a seasoning that has both a certain aroma and a certain taste. Spices are a commodity composed of dozens of plant based raw materials with unique aromas and functions, which come from the roots, stems, leaves, flower buds, and seeds of plants. 1. Characteristic aroma components in spices
Various spices have different aromas, which are caused by the different and varying amounts of aroma components they contain. The fragrance effect of spices mainly comes from their aromatic components, which are mostly composed of dozens or even hundreds of compounds. The components with prominent aroma are pinene, linalool, gingerol, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, etc. The aroma components in spices mainly include the following four types of compounds. 2. Aliphatic compounds
Aliphatic compounds are widely present in natural fragrances, such as the leafy alcohol found in green leafy plants, namely cis-3-hexenol, which has a grassy fragrance; Yunxiang oil contains rutanone, which is methyl nonyl ketone. 3. Aromatic compounds
In natural spices, aromatic compounds are also quite extensive, such as eugenol in clove oil; Thymol in thyme oil; Anethole in fennel oil; Cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon oil; Vanillin and other compounds in vanilla. 4. Terpenoids
Terpenoids often constitute the main component of various spice oils, such as menthol in peppermint oil; Eucalyptol oil contains about 70% eucalyptol oil. Terpene hydrocarbons: Laurene, basilene, limonene, gingerol α- Pinene β- Pinene α- Junipene α- Acaciene, etc. Terpenoid compounds: nerol, geraniol, citronellol, linalool, berberine, perillaldehyde, etc. Terpenoid aldehydes: citral, citral, hydroxycitral, water celery aldehyde, perilla aldehyde, etc. Terpene ketone compounds: peppermint ketone, capsaicin, camphor, etc. Terpene ester compounds: menthol acetate, citronellate acetate, geranyl acetate, etc. 5. Nitrogen and sulfur containing compounds
This type of compound exists in natural spices but in very small amounts. The components in spices that contain chemical structures of propyl or allyl thio groups generally have the aroma of scallions and garlic. Representative spices include diallyl disulfide, allyl mercaptan, methacryl disulfide, methacryl disulfide, propylene, and propyl disulfide.
02
The physiological effects of spices
The main function of spices in seasoning is to stimulate various nervous systems such as taste, smell, vision, pain, and temperature perception, in order to enhance and strengthen the aroma and taste of food, and enhance human appetite. Spices have many functions, including enhancing the color, aroma, and taste of food, transforming originally monotonous flavors into easily accepted ones. When people judge the taste of food, they generally base their judgment on five senses: first, visual perception of color; The second is the capture of odor by the sense of smell; The third is the perception of taste by the sense of taste; The fourth is the tolerance of pain perception to the degree of stimulation; The fifth is the tactile sensation of the physical properties of food (softness, hardness, temperature). Spices have a significant impact on all five senses mentioned above, but the most significant impact is on vision, smell, pain, and warmth. 1. Visual impact
Spices such as the red of bell peppers, the yellow of turmeric, and the dark red of saffron all have bright colors. When used in food cooking, they can achieve a direct color effect and have a significant effect on promoting appetite. 2. Impact of smell
The scent of spices can cause pleasure to the human sense of smell, and more than 400000 species have been discovered so far. Applying a portion of these spices to cooking can create a certain flavor in the food. The central mechanism for food intake related to appetite is mainly composed of two parts: the lateral hypothalamus (feeding center, LHA) and the ventromedial hypothalamus (satiety center, VMH), which are regulated by the opposite effects of these two centers. There are many factors that can affect the appetite of humans and animals, but in the process of judging the edibility of substances and the production of appetite, organisms first rely on smell. After capturing the odor information of spices, the sense of smell transmits it to the lower part of the visual bed in the brain through the central nervous system for summation processing. The high-level joint control mechanism formed by the lower part of the visual bed and the proximal system reprocesses the olfactory information, ultimately forming "appetite" or specific "feeding" actions. The fragrance of spices has a strong stimulating effect on the central nervous system, such as the cerebral cortex.
03
Pain sensation influence
Most spices have a certain spicy taste that has a positive effect on eating, which is also the main reason why people frequently use spices in the cooking process. The spiciness of spices is primarily attributed to capsaicin, which is felt in the tongue and mouth, accompanied by a certain degree of stinging sensation. The stinging sensation caused by different spices varies, and the magnitude of this stinging sensation is closely related to the dosage, usage method, and the interaction between the intrinsic components of the food. In traditional Chinese taste, there are generally "sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty", and spicy taste is also considered one of the main taste sensations. However, modern 4-base and 5-base flavors do not include spiciness and only consider spiciness as one of the other flavors. Japanese seasoning scholars do not believe that spiciness is a taste, but rather a stinging sensation on the tongue, nose, and oral mucosa. For example, the spiciness of mustard and horseradish has a piercing sensation through the nose, while the spiciness of garlic has a stinging sensation on the tongue and capsaicin has a stinging sensation on the oral mucosa, all of which belong to this category. Although spicy taste can cause a stinging sensation to the human sensory organs, its appropriate use can increase the tension of food taste and is beneficial for enhancing appetite. Spices are made up of plants with various spicy ingredients, which can make people feel excited when eating. The sensation of spiciness is different, divided into "hot spiciness" and "spicy spiciness". Hot spiciness refers to the stimulating effect of capsaicin, piperine, and other substances on human senses, while spicy spiciness refers to the spiciness of mustard, horseradish, and garlic, with the main components being thiocyanates and thioethers. Due to different ingredients, people's perception of spiciness also varies. In addition to chili, pepper, mustard, and horseradish, there are also many spicy substances, such as cinnamon, cloves, musk grass, and passion fruit. The spicy components of these spices include cinnamaldehyde, carvacrol, carvacrol, and eugenol. These ingredients are different from the pain and spiciness that directly irritates the nasal and oral mucosa, as they mainly rely on membrane permeability (fat solubility) to give the spiciness a certain degree of persistence. Therefore, if spices with these spicy ingredients can be skillfully used in cooking, they can produce excellent results. Spicy ingredients not only have strong stimulating effects on oral mucosa, but also have physiological effects such as accelerating the secretion of adrenaline, promoting metabolic hyperactivity, and eliminating mental stress and fatigue.
04
The product form of spices
1. Complete spices
Complete spices refer to the most classic and primitive method without any processing, such as peeling and washing ginger and garlic before direct use. 2. Crushed spices
After drying, the complete spice is crushed into granules or powders, which can be directly added to food when in use, such as pepper powder, large powder, etc. 3. Extract
Including various oil resins extracted with various solvents, water-soluble essential oils, steam distillates, and products extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide. Zhu Haitao et al. extracted clove oil resin from clove using ethanol as a solvent and conducted comparative experiments with clove particles and powder in terms of color, taste, odor, and other properties. The results showed that the comprehensive use effect of clove oil was higher than that of particles and powder [3]. The Soxhlet extraction method was used to optimize the extraction process of purple onion oil, and under the optimal process conditions, the yield of onion oil was basically consistent with the theoretical value [4]. Garlic oil was extracted using two processes, steam distillation and solvent extraction, and the composition and content of extracts prepared by different methods were analyzed. The results showed that the content of organic sulfides in garlic oil produced by steam distillation was high, and the garlic oil produced by the two methods was significantly different in composition and content [5]. 4. Microencapsulated products
It mainly refers to powder spice products produced by spray drying method. Zhang Peiyin et al. used gum arabic as film forming agent and emulsifier to pretreat it at 70 ℃, in which maltodextrin and maltose were added. With 20% star anise essential oil as the core material, the star anise essential oil was made into microcapsules by spray drying. Reduced the volatility of star anise essential oil, improved its antioxidant capacity and solubility in water [6]. Extract volatile oil from star anise and mix it with β- The refining of ring paste into inclusion compounds solves the problem of instability and volatility during storage and use [7]. The effect of pressure, temperature, time, and CO2 flow rate on the yield of ginger oil resin was studied using supercritical CO2 extraction method, and the optimal process conditions for ginger oil resin extraction were determined [8]. 5. Dispersive products adsorbed on table salt, sugars, grains, etc
Adsorbing essential oils or oleoresins onto powder carriers such as glucose, table salt, and dextrin has an instant fragrance effect, especially due to the different types of powder carriers, especially β- Cyclodextrin and other substances have a certain sustained-release effect. But in liquid food, essential oils and oleoresins will separate. Attention should be paid during operation: exposure to air is prone to spoilage and volatilization, so it must be stored tightly. 05
The use of spice products
When deciding which spices to use for processing products, it is necessary to consider not only the aroma of the spices, but also the characteristics of the processing materials (such as meat, fish, shellfish, vegetables, and other excipients) and process characteristics. The direct use of dry powder products in modern food processing has decreased, and if used, more and more ultra-fine crushed products (greater than 30 mesh) will be used. This is because the plant fibers contained in spices are insoluble in water, and products using powdered spices will produce precipitation during rehydration, which will lower the product grade. Therefore, in the future, the extraction and processing products of various spices will occupy a larger market share. Due to the presence of essential oil components in spices, heating can lead to their loss, so choosing the optimal timing for addition is crucial. From the perspective of addition time, it can be divided into three stages: pre-treatment of raw materials, processing and cooking (heating) process, and out of pot (heating). For example, in the seasoning of meat, pepper salt is often sprinkled before the meat is heated. This belongs to the pre-treatment stage of raw materials processing, and then added during heating, such as boiling soup and vegetables. At this time, adding pepper powder is to increase the aroma and spicy taste of pepper powder, which plays a role in enhancing appetite. Also, add pepper powder when cooking. Due to the presence of many heat-resistant components in pepper, adding pepper after heating reduces the damage to the essential oils in pepper and enhances its aroma.
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2024-02-26
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