Seminar: "Short-term Changes in the Aromatic Profile of Fresh Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Using Sensory and Chemical Temporal Methods" -Maud Dias

Short-term Changes in the Aromatic Profile of Fresh Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Using Sensory and Chemical Temporal Methods

Rutgers University Department of Food Science

Maud Dias, Terminal Masters Student

Fresh Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) leaves release volatile compounds upon disruption, which can come from rubbing, cutting, tearing, or chewing the leaf. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this aromatic profile changes rapidly over a brief period and may be associated with the loss of characteristic ‘spicy’ notes which could be important to consumers. This loss of aroma and flavor has not been studied before. This study monitored short-term changes in the sensory and chemical profiles of four sweet basil varieties. Temporal check all that apply (TCATA) methodology was used to track sensory changes over a 10-min period. Two gas chromatography (GC) methods were pilot tested to track chemical changes across the same period; standard solid phase microextraction (SPME) GC, a static method, and in-tube extraction (ITEX) GC, a dynamic headspace method. Neither method has been used previously to track short-term changes in basil aroma profiles. TCATA identified initial differences (Time 0) in the sensory profiles of the basils and successfully tracked these changes over time. Both ITEX and SPME produced initial chemical profiles that correlated with the sensory profiles, but neither method effectively captured changes over time. Future studies will be conducted to improve the chemical methods.

Advisor: Dr. Beverly Tepper, Food Science, Rutgers University