Ginger

Ginger, Zingiber officialle, is a perennial herb with thick tuberous roots or rhizomes, from the family of the Zingiberaceae. These tubers are shaped like deer antlers and are tan in colour. Ginger is of Asiatic origin but now grown in almost all-tropical countries, which have a rich, well-watered soil.

The growing and harvesting of ginger differs according to its end-use, which may be as a fresh root vegetable, as the basis of preserved of crystallized confectionery ginger or as a spice.

Dried ginger is the form used as a spice. The flavour is pungent and spicy. Ginger concentrates are used in large amounts in beverages (e.g., ginger ale), as well as in baked goods and confectioneries.

Ginger oil is produced by steam distillation of dried, ground rhizomes. It is a light yellow to yellow liquid with the aromatic, persistent odour of ginger, but lacking the pungency usually associated with ginger. The citrus note of ginger oil is produced by citral.

The major components of the oil are b-sesquiphellandrene and zingiberene:

b-Sesquiphellandrene	Zingiberene

Ginger oleoresin is prepared by extracting ginger rhizomes with acetone, alcohol or other appropriate solvent. The product contains the essential oil along with the substances responsible for the pungency of ginger. These compounds are substituted phenols of the following structure: