Physicochemical Characteristics of Essential Oil of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) Cultivated in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Background: Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is mainly cultivated in tropical areas such as South India. It is known as a popular spice in all over the world. Although some studies have been carried out to determine the ingredients of black pepper Essential Oil (EO) cultivated in various regions of the world, but there is little data about some physicochemical characteristics of EO of black pepper cultivated in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Methods: Black peppers samples were collected from the local market of Chittagong city. Extraction of black pepper EO was carried out using Clevenger apparatus. Chemical compounds of EO obtained from the black pepper were determined by analytical gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Some physicochemical characteristics of extracted EO were determined according to the standard methods. All experiments were carried out in triplicate. Results: The major components of black pepper EO were caryophyllene (19.12%), limonene (9.74%), and camphene (8.44%). The contents of moisture, dry matter, protein, fatty oil, ash, carbohydrate, and crude fiber in black pepper samples were determined as 2.20, 96.12, 12.66, 14.41, 12.49, 42.56, and 5.55%, respectively. Also, food energy value was measured as 349.66±0.44 g/calories. Refractive index, specific gravity, as well as optical rotation of EO samples were 0.8590, 1.476 at 30 °C, and -10.300, respectively. Conclusion: The EO of black pepper cultivated in Chittagong, Bangladesh revealed desirable physicochemical characteristics and could be applied in food industry.