# Modulation of the Volatile Profile of Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) Essential Oil by Non‐Thermal Instant Controlled Pressure Drop (DIC) Technology: A Novel Approach in Food Processing

## TL;DR

This paper explores how a new non-thermal technology can change the scent and flavor compounds in cardamom essential oil, potentially improving extraction efficiency.

## Contribution

The study introduces instant controlled pressure drop (DIC) as a novel method to modulate volatile compounds in cardamom essential oil.

## Key findings

- DIC pretreatment alters the volatile profile of cardamom essential oil by influencing key compounds like limonene and eucalyptol.
- Processing time and temperature significantly affect the yield of specific compounds, such as 3-carene and α-citral.
- DIC can increase the extraction yield of metabolites like eucalyptol compared to conventional methods.

## Abstract

Elettaria cardamomum
(cardamom) is an Asian‐origin fragrant seed highly valued for its sensory attributes, including its delicate scent and distinctive flavor. Essential oils (EOs) constitute the primary extracts obtained from cardamom, and their market demand has increased considerably in recent years, largely due to their recognized antioxidant properties. To support this growing demand, innovative technologies such as instant controlled pressure drop (DIC) have been explored. DIC increases cell porosity, promoting solvent accessibility and improving extraction efficiency while preserving heat‐sensitive constituents, an advantage when coupled with conventional methods like hydrodistillation, which remains the standard method for EO production. GC–MS analysis identified 14 volatile components in the extracted oils. Limonene was the predominant compound, reaching 40.54% under DIC 7 (122°C, 19 s), followed by eucalyptol, which reached 24.31% under DIC 8 (122°C, 41 s). A combination of DIC processing parameters influenced the composition of key constituents. For compounds such as 3‐carene, eucalyptol, linalyl valerate, ρ‐menth‐1‐en‐4‐ol, and α‐citral, both processing time and temperature contributed to their variation. In contrast, other compounds, such as ρ‐mentha‐1,4‐dien‐7‐ol, α‐terpineol, β‐selinene, and geraniol, were driven primarily by a single factor. Overall, this study shows that DIC pretreatment can potentially modulate the volatile profile of cardamom essential oil and highlights how specific DIC conditions influence the abundance of individual key constituents.

This work highlighted the potential of instant controlled pressure drop technology as a possible modulator of specific compounds within complex plant extracts such as essential oil. Both time and temperature had important effects on the yield of specific compounds, underscoring the importance of tailoring them to maximize metabolites of interest. Among some of the major components like eucalyptol, this pretreatment meant an increase in the obtention yield, highlighting this technology mechanistic advantages.