Quality of powdered black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) during storage. II. Principal components analyses of GC and sensory profiles.

Gas chromatographicjngerprinting of stored black pepper powder afer extraction,
volatiles from the Likens-Nickerson extraction and aroma impact fractions
were carried out using packed column, routinely used in the spice growing countries.
Sensory quality, volatile oil and moisture content were also analyzed to trace
the changes occurring during storage. The data generated were subjected to
principal components analyses to reduce dimensionality and arrive at impact
attributes. The oxygenated compounds fraction resolved into 25 to 30 peaks from
which a group of 6, including small yet importantpeaks, was selected. These peuks
reflected quality as monitored by sensor?, response, accounting for 93.4% of
information, and are more meaningful than terpene hydrocarbon peaks of high
resolution. The probable compounds constituting these principal components are
discussed.