Ginger oil and Olioresins

Description : Zingiber officinale is a tropical herbaceous perennial that grows from a knotty, tuber-like rhizome (horizontal stem) with thick lobes that vaguely resemble stubby fingers or thumbs and widely branching fibrous roots. The colour of the rhizome varies from buff to dark brown according to the soil and climatic conditions it’s grown under.

A leafless flower stalk grows from the root alongside the stem, terminating in a coniferous looking conical spike from which pale green-yellow flowers develop in clusters of 2 or 3 between the bracteal scales. However, these flowering stems rarely develop in cultivated plants. The flowers have an aromatic odour, and the stems when bruised are also mildly fragrant, but ginger essential oil is extracted from the rhizome only.

Ginger oleoresin used in food industry is, generally, obtained by extraction with organic solvent, acetone and ethanol being the most commonly used. However, the solvent extraction process has to overcome great difficulties to remove organic solvent from oleoresin without ruining the product, since oleoresin components are thermolabile substances. As a possible alternative to this problem, several studies have been conducted using CO2, near its critical point, as a solvent, for the oleoresin extraction of several natural products, since this solvent is easily removed when system pressure and temperature diminish

The composition of volatile oils present in ginger (mainly the ones obtained from the Asian and African species) has been widely studied and more than one hundred compounds were detected in essential oil. However, these compounds contribute only partially to the “flavor impact” since fresh ginger is characterized by its aroma, as well as by its pungency.

Oleoresin obtained by ethanol or acetone extraction has the pungency found in ginger. Substances responsible for this characteristic are well-known compounds such as gingerois and shogaols, with 6-gingerol being the compound that contributes the most to this characteristic

The objective of the present work was to study the chemical composition of ginger oleoresin obtained by extraction with ethanol, isopropanol, and liquid carbon dioxide. Special attention was devoted to identifying in CO2 extracts the substances responsible for ginger oleoresin’s pungency.

Ginger oil and oleoresins are the volatile oil derived by steam distillation of ginger and oleoresin. It is obtained by percolating the powdered rhizomes of Ginger, Zingiber officinale with volatile solvents. Ginger contains 1-2 percent of volatile oil, 5-8 percent of pungent acrid oleoresin and starch. Zingiberene is the chief constituent in the oil of ginger. Oil is employed for flavoring all kinds of food products and confectionary and finds limited use in perfumery. Oleoresin, commercially called Gingerin contains pungent principles viz. gingerol and shogaol apart from the volatile oil of ginger and is used as an aromatic, carminative, stomachic and as a stimulant.

Traditional Uses : The expertise garnered by the Chinese and Indian physicians who used ginger for thousands of years quickly spread along with its increased availability, and soon many cultures around the world learned of it’s great affinity with the digestive system. Taken as a decoction it was (and still is) used universally to treat heartburn, indigestion, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, motion sickness, diarrhoea, dysentery, colic and flatulence.

It was also used to treat coughs, colds, fevers, respiratory conditions, arthritis, rheumatism, muscular aches and period pains. Confucius, Dioscorides, Galen and Gerard, are just some of the luminaries throughout history who extolled the virtues of this amazingly effective herb in their writings.

Specifications
Ginger Olioresins
Product:Ginger Oleoresin
Description:Ginger Oleoresin is obtained by solvent extraction of the
dried seeds of rhizomes of Zingeber officianalis
Colour & appearance:Dark brown in colour & viscous liquid
Odour:Characteristic odour of ginger
Residual solvent:<10 ppm
Solubility:Soluble in Oil
Yeast & Mould:Absent
Homogeneity:Ensured by uniform emulsification
Pathogenic microorganisms
and their toxins
:Absent
Packing:50 kgs HDPE containers/as per customers requirement
Storage:Store preferably in air tight containers
and keep in a cool & dry place protected from light.