Cumin Oil Zhu et al. (1993) analyzed an oil of Cuminum cyminum L. produced from the seeds (fruit) of plants cultivated in Xinjiang (China). The constituents of this oil were determined to be as follows:
α-pinene (0.81 percent) β-pinene (6.80 percent) p-cymene (22.28 percent) limonene (0.23 percent) 1,8-cineole (0.20 percent) γ-terpinene (1.39 percent) terpinen-4-ol (0.34 percent) α-terpineol (0.50 percent) 4-isopropylphenol (0.63 percent) cuminaldehyde (43.48 percent) cuminic acid (0.83 percent)
Eikani et al. (1999) compared the composition of an oil of cumin with a supercritical fluid CO2 extract (SFE) of the same batch of cumin seed produced from plants cultivated in Iran. The extraction conditions used for production of the SFE were 100 bar and 40°C with a CO2 mass flow rate of 1.2 kg/min for ca. 4 h. The comparative compositions can be seen in Table I.
As part of a screening program of the antimicrobial characteristics of oils produced from spices and aromatic seeds grown in Pakistan, A-ur-Rahman et al. (1999) examined the composition of cumin seed oil. This oil was found to possess the following components:
