Vol. 8, Issue 1 (2019)

Author(s):
Subramaniyan P, L Jeeva Jothi, K Sundharaiya, N Shoba and S Murugesan

Abstract:
Ajowan (Trachyspermum ammi L.) is a herbaceous annual plant, belonging to the family Apiaceae. Ajowan seeds are used as a medicament in Unani, Ayurvedic and Arab traditional medicine for its diuretic, analgesic, antiasthmatic, anthelmintic and antispasmodic properties. The fruit contains an aromatic volatile essential oil, a crystalline substance stearoptene. The thymol and carvacrol derivatives and other minor components of ajowan are responsible for its functional properties. The present investigation was carried out to study the essential oil, thymol, p-cymene and γ-terpinene content in the different genotypes of ajowan. The functional properties were estimated by using gas chromatography at the department of Horticulture, University of Agricultural Science, GKVK, Bangalore-65. The result revealed that the highest essential oil content of 4.6 per cent was recorded by LTa- 26 4.0 per cent and it was followed by JA-176, Acc No- 5 (3.8 percent) and Acc No- (3 3.4%). The lowest essential oil content of 2.9 per cent was recorded by JA-186. The highest thymol content of 50.06 per cent was recorded by LTa-26. It was followed by Acc. No.- 3 (49.54 per cent) and GA-1 (47.44 per cent). Whereas the lowest thymol yield was recorded by Acc. No.- 5 (39.2 5per cent). The highest of 25.26 per cent was recorded by JA186., It was followed by Acc. No. 5 (23.15 per cent) and JA-110 (23.11 per cent) and the lowest p- cymene content was recorded by JA-176 (15.83 per cent). The highest ϒ-terpinene content of 31.53 per cent, 28.88 per cent and 25.69 per cent were recorded by Acc. No. – 5, JA-110 and JA-186 respectively and the lowest was observed in JA-176 (20.83 per cent).