Phenolic compounds in cloves

Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) bud is the most important spice that is frequently used as a flavoring agent in the traditional and industrial food industries. It is also used for numerous medicinal and pharmaceutical applications to prevent aging, promote wound healing, and treat many diseases, such as thyroid dysfunction, skin cancer, digestion problems, and cardiovascular diseases.

Clove represents one of the major vegetal sources of phenolic compounds as flavonoids, hidroxibenzoic acids, hidroxicinamic acids and hidroxiphenyl propens.

Phenolic compounds, including stress-linked phytochemicals, have been related to favorable impacts, which are caused by the consumption of fruits and vegetables, particularly due to their antioxidant activity.

Eugenol, an allyl chain-substituted guaiacol is the main bioactive compound of clove, which is found in concentrations ranging from 9 381.70 to 14 650.00 mg per 100 g of fresh plant material. Eugenol has a spicy, pungent odour typical of clove.

Gallic acid, catechol, and protocatechuic acid were the highest phenolic acids (762.6, 635.8, and 544.9 mg/100 g, respectively), and quercetin and catechin were the highest flavonoid acids (1703.1 and 1065.1 mg/100 g, respectively).

In addition, other gallic acid derivates as hidrolizable tannins are present in higher concentrations (2 375.8 mg/100 g). Other phenolic acids found in clove are the caffeic, ferulic, elagic and salicylic acids.
Phenolic compounds in cloves

Nutrient content of cloves

Clove is a fragrant spice that can add flavor to many dishes. Syzygium aromaticum commonly known as clove, is a median size tree (8-12 m) from the Mirtaceae family native from the Maluku islands in east Indonesia. Clove is a spice that offers many health benefits. These benefits include aiding in digestion, boosting the immune system, and controlling diabetes. Cloves also contain anti-mutagenic and anti-microbial properties which may even help fight oral diseases and headaches.

At their early stages of development, clove flower buds are pale in color which, gradually turn green, and finally, develop into bright-red clove buds by the time of harvesting.

The nutrients found in cloves include carbohydrates, protein, energy, and dietary fibre. Minerals in cloves include potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium.

Clove has essential elements such as Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Folate, niacin, Riboflavin, Vitamin A, Thiamine, Vitamin D, Omega 3 fatty acids along with other anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.

They also contain phosphorus, iron, zinc, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin A and K. Cloves are a great source of β -carotene, which helps give them their rich brown colour. The carotene family of pigments are important antioxidants and provitamins

Clove represents one of the richest sources of phenolic compounds such as eugenol, eugenol acetate and gallic acid and possess great potential for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and agricultural applications.

Eugenol is the main bioactive compound of clove, which is found in concentrations ranging from 9 381.70 to 14 650.00 mg per 100 g of fresh plant material. Eugenol has been shown to reduce the inflammatory response in the body, reducing the risk of diseases such as arthritis and helping to manage symptoms.

Cloves are known to have been used in several traditional medicinal cultures as a way to help with stomach issues. Cloves have been used to boost digestion and control gastrointestinal irritation.
Nutrient content of cloves

The Cloves (Myrtaceae)

The Cloves (Myrtaceae)
Cloves are the dried, unopened flower buds of Eugenia caryophyllus, an evergreen tree indigenous to a group of a small volcanic islands in the Moluccas, once named the “Spice Islands” by Portuguese and Dutch traders who visited them for cloves, mace and nutmegs.

The trees flourish best near the coast.

The essential oil is a powerful antiseptic as we may recognize from our visit to the dentist where it is used as the basis for a powerful mouthwash.

The oil is also numbing and used on the gums for toothache as a home cure. So we have to be delicate when we are using cloves in cooking because the smallest amount can be overpowering.

The flavour of cloves is strong, sweet, hot and very distinctive. Cloves are used with discretion in some spices mixtures as they tend to swamp delicate flavours.

They are used in Indonesia in a mixture of 1:2 with tobacco in then production of clove cigarettes, called kretek, which is a major industry.

In India, cloves are used in the preparation of the betel nut quid; it is customary in Asia to chew a clove to sweeten the breath.
The Cloves (Myrtaceae)

Cloves

Cloves
Cloves are the dried flower buds of Eugenia caryophylata, an evergreen tree of the Myrtle family.

It is indigenous to the Moluccas or Spices Islands but is cultivated in many of the East Indian Islands, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Pemba, Penang (Malaysia), India, and Ceylon.

When the green buds change to a reddish color, they are removed from the three and dried.

The dried flower buds must be handled with care. They range from ¼ to ½ in. in length and are reddish brown.

Cloves are characterized by theirs strong, pungent flavor. The spice is available either whole or ground and is used as a flavoring for hams, roasts, stews, pickled fruits, preserves, desserts, cakes, puddles and spice sweet syrups.

Ground cloves contain tissue cells found in flower buds and broad base fibers, but starch grains are absent.

Cloves contain 12-21% of volatile oil; the principal flavor constituents are eugenol (70-80%) caryophyllene, vanillin and small amounts of several other substances.

Adulterants include exhausted cloves, clove stems, allspice, nutshells and cereals.
Cloves

Garlic oil

Garlic oil
The essential oil of garlic can be recovered by steam distillation of the fresh crushed cloves, the yield being 0.1% to 0.2%. Garlic oil is a powerful flavoring agent and is widely used in seasonings either as a liquid flavor or dispersed as a dry-carrier.

Many problems arise when fresh garlic is included in a food product. The commercial availability vegetable occurs as a compound bulb make-up of 10 to 14 small “clove” encased in a tough outer skin. The bulb must first be cleaned and sorted, the outer tissue removed and the cloves separated. The garlic is then ready for mincing, cutting and crushing. The whole process is tedious and the manufacturing department becomes permeated with the smell. This can give rise to the problem of cross-contamination unless great care is taken.

Like all other natural product, the flavoring effect of fresh garlic is variable whereas that of garlic oil is relatively consistent. It is not surprising, therefore, that the garlic oil is now widely used in place of the fresh vegetable. To overcome the objectionable odor associated with both fresh garlic and garlic oil, the use of encapsulated garlic oil is strongly recommended. This dry powder product is almost free of odor and does not release its contents until the capsule is broken down by admixture with water.
Garlic oil