The genus Cinnamomum

314 B. Krishnamoorthy and J. Rema
Table 13.6 The replacement ratios for ground cinnamon
using oils and oleoresin with other spices
Spice Replace 1# of ground spice with
Cinnamon bark oil is used in food, pharmaceutical and perfume industries. It is
a light yellow aromatic oil with a sweet and spicy odour and has largely replaced ground
cinnamon in the processing industry, since it can be measured accurately and imparts
a uniform flavour to meat, other processed foods and confectionary. In food industry, it
is used to flavour meat and fast food, sauces, pickles, baked foods, confectionery, liqueurs
and soft drinks. Cinnamon leaf oil is obtained by steam distillation of cinnamon leaves
and the oil yield ranges between 0.5% and 1.8 % (Senanayake and Wijesekera, 1989).
More than 47 compounds have been identified from the leaf oil, the most significant
being eugenol, which constitutes 65–92% ( Senanayake et al., 1978). Cinnamon leaf oil
is cheaper than bark oil and is used in flavour industry, to a lesser extent, to flavour
confectionery. It is also used as a source of eugenol for the preparation of synthetic
vanillin. Cinnamon oleoresin obtained by solvent extraction is a dark brown extremely
concentrated and viscous liquid, closely approximating the total spice flavour and containing
50% or more volatile oil. It is used mainly for flavouring food products such as
cakes and confectionary. Ground spice has been replaced by oils and oleoresin in food
industry. The replacement ratios for ground spice using oils and oleoresins are given
in Table 13.6. Spice Extractives-Equivalencies (SEE) of cinnamon in comparison with
other common spices are given in Table 13.7, which are useful in the manufacture of
foods and seasonings.
Synergistic and suppressive effects
Oil Oleoresin
Cinnamon 0.025 0.025
Clove 0.140 0.050
Cardamom 0.030 0.015
Celery 0.010 1.000
Coriander 0.003 0.070
Ginger 0.015 0.035
Mace 0.140 0.070
Nutmeg 0.600 0.080
Pepper 0.015 0.050
Source: Tainter and Grenis, 1993.
The taste of prepared food can be modified when combined with other food or ingredients.
A synergistic effect is produced when the taste of one component in the food is
enhanced by association with other food components. Similarly, there is a suppressive
effect when a certain taste decreases in strength through combining with other food
components. Cinnamon has the effect of enhancing the sweetness of food containing
sugar. Due to its synergestic effect, cinnamon has been widely used in cooking baked
foods and confectionary. Cinnamon has a sweet aroma and when it is added to sweet
food, the sweetness sensation is enhanced because of the synergistic effect between the
taste of sugar and the sweet aroma of cinnamon.