K. V. Peter

Introduction to herbs and spices: medicinal uses and sustainable production

Abstract: This introductory chapter contains a brief history of herbs and spices, including cultivation, trade and uses. The cultivation requirements of important herbal spices are discussed, as well as uses of herbs and spices in food and beverages, perfumes and cosmetics, and medicinal and nutraceutical uses. The important flavour compounds in major culinary and herbal spices are considered. Other topics discussed in this chapter are antioxidants isolated from herbs and spices, active plant constituents and the molecular phytopharmacology of a few herbs and spices. It also deals with biosafety and efficacy issues from a phytochemical perspective.

Capers and caperberries

Abstract: This chapter on capers and caperberries gives a detailed account of the plant description, distribution, important cultivars, chemical composition, flavour volatile profiles, cultivation practices, reproductive biology, propagation, production technology, caper grading system and post-harvest technology. It also deals with its uses in food, processing, functional and health benefits, nutritional properties, health-promoting and therapeutic characteristics, quality issues and future trends.

Cryopreservation of Spices Genetic Resources

Plant genetic resources constituting genotypes or populations of cultivars (landraces, advance/improved cultivars), genetic stocks, wild and weedy species, which are maintained in the form of plants, seeds, tissues, etc. hold key to food security and sustainable agricultural development (Iwananga, 1994). They are non-renewable and are among the most essential of the world’s natural resources. Due to deforestation, spread of superior varieties and selection pressure, genetic variability is gradually getting eroded. This demands priority action to conserve germplasm be it at species, genepool or ecosystem level, for posterity (Frankel, 1975).

Protocols for In Vitro Propagation, Conservation, Synthetic Seed Production, Microrhizome Production, and Molecular Profiling in Turmeric ( Curcuma longa L.)

Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial but cultivated as annual, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae. It is a native of India and South East Asia. The tuberous rhizomes or underground stems of turmeric are used from antiquity as condiments, a dye and as an aromatic stimulant in several medicines. Turmeric is an important crop in India and it is used as a spice, food preservative, coloring agent, cosmetic as well as for its medicinal properties. Propagation is done vegetatively with rhizome bits as seed materials. It is plagued by rhizome rot diseases most of which are mainly spread through infected seed rhizomes. Micropropagation will help in production of disease-free seed. Sexual reproduction is rare in turmeric, making recombinant breeding very difficult. In vitro technology can thus become the preferred choice and it can be utilized for multiplication, conservation of genetic resources, generating variability, gene transfer, molecular tagging, and their utility in crop improvement.

Legacy of Indian Spices: Its Production and Processing

Centuries before Greece and Rome had been discovered, sailing ships carried Indian spices-black pepper, cardamom, large cardamom, herbal perfumes and natural fibre textiles to Mesopotamia, Arabia and Egypt. It was the lure of these that brought many seafarers to the shores of India. The legacy of Indian Spices is more than 7000 years old (BC 5000). Routes led by Christopher Columbus and Vasco de Gama, were to become the world’s first step towards globalization, in the pursuit of a more flavored and scented food. Due to different climatic conditions across the country, India produces a variety of spices which are indisputably an indispensable part of global and Indian economy as India produces 75 types of spices out of the 109 listed with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Even in the ancient and medieval ages, Indian spices played a significant role in strengthening the economic conditions. Indians were thus crowned as the pioneers in the knowledge of spices, and the Malabar Coast has been known as a Spices Kingdom. Preferred as flavouring agents, their potential to prevent food spoilage and their anti-microbial activity, spices are heading to be the most sought after group of crops, in the coming centuries and generations. This chapter has attempted to touch upon the historical routes and landmarks, the production statistics of spices, the potential of this group of crops which are reflected in the changes in global trends in consumption and demand, while highlighting the medicinal properties and constituents, and value addition in spices. It has also highlighted spices as an unifying agent of the world’s culinary choice and usage.Increased spices consumption reflects enhanced quality of food and associated freedom from hidden hunger and malnutrition.

Transgenic Research in Spices

Abstract Biotechnology tools involving plant tissue culture and recombinant DNA technologies are powerful to complement conventional breeding and expedite the improvement of spices. The perennial nature of spices such as black pepper, ginger, and turmeric combined with other crop-specific problems poses a great challenge in the conventional breeding of spices. Genetic engineering has revolutionized crop improvement in spices and has been applied successfully in the enhancement of plant tolerance to biotic/abiotic stresses, increased crop productivity, and enhanced nutritional content of crop plants. Hairy root transformation strategy is also being used for secondary metabolite production using seed spices, which are a repertoire of medicinally important compounds. This chapter highlights the information on biotechnological advances made in spice crops and future perspectives.

Protocols for Biotechnological Interventions in Improvement of Vanilla ( Vanilla planifolia Andrews.)

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews (syn. V. fragrans Salisb.), a native of Central America, is the primary source of natural vanillin and plays a major role in the global economy. The gene pool of vanilla is threatened by deforestation and overcollection that has resulted in disappearance of natural habitats and wild species. Continuous vegetative propagation and lack of natural seed set and sufficient variations in the gene pool hamper crop improvement programs. In vitro techniques, one of the key tools of plant biotechnology, can be employed for overcoming specific problems, viz. production of disease-free clones, inducing somaclonal variations, developing hybrids, gene pool conservation, incorporating desired traits by distant hybridization, genetic engineering, etc. However, realization of these objectives necessitates standardization of protocols. This chapter describes the various protocols optimized for crop improvement in Vanilla species.

Protocols for In Vitro Propagation, Conservation, Synthetic Seed Production, Embryo Rescue, Microrhizome Production, Molecular Profiling, and Genetic Transformation in Ginger ( Zingiber officinale Roscoe.)

Ginger is a rhizomatous plant that belongs to the family Zingiberaceae. It is a herbaceous perennial but cultivated as annual, with crop duration of 7-10 months. Ginger is native to India and Tropical South Asia. The tuberous rhizomes or underground stems of ginger are used as condiment, an aromatic stimulant, and food preservative as well as in traditional medicine. Ginger is propagated vegetatively with rhizome bits as seed material. Cultivation of ginger is plagued by rhizome rot diseases, most of which are mainly spread through infected seed rhizomes. Micropropagation will help in production of disease-free planting material. Sexual reproduction is absent in ginger, making recombinant breeding very impossible. In vitro technology can thus become the preferred choice as it can be utilized for multiplication, conservation of genetic resources, generating variability, gene transfer, molecular tagging, and their utility in crop improvement of these crops.

Diversity and Erosion in Genetic Resources of Spices

Genetic resources are global assets of inestimable value to human kind, which holds the key to increasing food security. The loss of variation in crops due to the modernization of agriculture has been described as genetic erosion. The current status of the genetic diversity and erosion in spice crops is discussed in this chapter. Human intervention into the natural habitats of wild and related species in centers of diversity, diseases, and pests plays an important role in the loss of older species and varieties. This is further complicated by climate change and reproductive behavior of crop species. The Genetic erosion of cultivated diversity is reflected in a modernization bottleneck in the diversity levels that occurred during the history of the crop. Two stages in this bottleneck are recognized: the initial replacement of landraces by modern cultivars and further trends in diversity as a consequence of modern breeding practices. The factors contributing to erosion is due to the enormous diversity in cultivated plants, population growth, deforestation, erosion, changing land use, and climate factors are major threats to the existing biodiversity of the region. Urbanization is increasing and agriculture is changing from subsistence based on highly market-driven farming. Although these changes have increased incomes of the populations of wild habitants to certain extent, not all of them are for the good. In particular, biodiversity is declining as a result of some of these changes. It is mandate to conserve the vanishing plant genetic resources and to understand better the linkages between agricultural and economic system that affect diversity and sustainable production. Genetic erosion may occur at three levels of integration: crop, variety, and allele. Thus, genetic erosion is reflected in the reduction of allelic richness in conjunction with events at variety level. This requires immediate efforts to understand and implement the effective multiplication and conservation strategies using both conventional and modern technologies to save the loss of the valuable genetic resources and preserve them for posterity. An important aspect is also to include genetic resource conservation as an important part in our social life.