Parsley (Petroselinum crispum L.), celery (Apium graveolens L.), celeriac
(Apium graveolens var. rapaceum), carrot (Daucus carota L.), parsnip (Pastinaca
sativa L.), lovage (Levisticum officinale Koch.) and angelica (Angelica archangelica
L.) are vegetable plants belonging to the Apiaceae family. They are often used as
spices due to their characteristic aroma, originating from the volatile compounds
present in the plant tissues. Mainly, all parts of the plant i.e. roots, leaves and fruit are
used in nutrition. However, the focus of this chapter is plant fruit (i.e. seed), which is
mostly used as spice. The contemporary method used for the analysis of volatiles
compounds is called headspace and it is widely applied in flavor chemistry. The
dominant compounds in P. crispum are α-pinene (46.2-49.0%) and β-pinene (33.5-
35.4%), while in A. graveolens, it is limonene (84.1-94.4%). In D. carota, the main
components are sabinene (28.3%) and α-pinene (25.0%), while in P. sativa fruit, it is
octyl ester of butanoic acid (53.8%) and 1-octanol (27.6%). In L. officinale and A.
archangelica, the dominant component in fruit is β-phellandrene (77.1% and 84.7%,
respectively).
Keywords: Angelica, Apiaceae, Aroma, Celery, Celeriac, Carrot, Headspace,
Lovage, Parsley, Parsnip, Terpenes, Volatile compounds.
