Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Coriandrum sativum L., commonly known as cilantro, is an herbaceous plant with culinary and medicinal uses. Based on personal experience the author found that people who normally dislike cilantro did not perceive cilantro microgreens in the same way. This study aimed to investigate the chemical profile of volatiles in C. sativum microgreens compared to more mature plants. The study was based on plants grown under different nutrient and medium conditions and harvesting them at various stages of development. The volatile substances were collected using headspace solid phase microextraction (SPME), analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and were tentatively identified by comparing the spectra and retention indices with previously published data. The data analysis involved identifying compounds above a 1% threshold of the total volatile content and comparing relative amounts in C. sativum at different ages. Statistical analysis was conducted using analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine the significance of differences observed. The results showed differences in the relative amountsof volatile substances between different ages and treatments of the plants. The total number of detected compounds increased with plant maturity. Some aldehydes showed variations between sample groups, with dodecanal significantly decreasing over time. Notably, 2-decenal exhibited a statistically significant increase in relative amount as the plants matured. Further research is required to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these changes. Studies including smell/taste panels would be valuable to confirm which substances are responsible for the characteristic flavor and whether microgreen C. sativum is considered more palatable among people who dislike mature C. sativum. Nevertheless, the study provides valuable insights into the change of composition of volatile substances in different developmental stages of
C. sativum, which are likely responsible for the flavor.