Essential oil composition of black pepper from Cuba

Abstract

Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is one of the world's most important spices, used for both its aroma and pungency. The main exporting countries are India. Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Brazil and Malaysia. The constituents of pepper responsible for its aroma is the steam volatile oil. For more than a century, many studies have been devoted to the chemical composition of black pepper oil and these were reviewed by several authors 2.1 The oil is composed mainly of mono- and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons with minor amounts of oxygenated compounds. Although the oxygenated compounds are relatively minor components, they contribute to the characteristic odor of black pepper 4,3 Essential oil of black pepper finds use in both flavoring and perfumery.