The emission levels of terpenes representatives from available on Polish market culinary dried herbs: proposal for a solvent-free and non-destructive solution for the comparative analysis of dried consumer products

Abstract In most analytical procedures, quality assessment (type and level of organic compounds) of commercially available herbs (as a plant) as well as dried herbs is carried out using techniques based on the extraction process with the use of an organic solvent. These solutions are not good from the point of view of the assumptions in the implementation of the principles of green analytical chemistry. For this reason, new solutions that are solvent-free and as less intrusive as possible to the studied samples are being developed for comparative analyses of products of natural origin used as food additives. Performed investigations focuses on the role of terpenes in defining the aromatic qualities of five commercially available dried herbs: basil ( Ocimum basilicum L. ), oregano ( Origanum vulgare L. ), thyme ( Thymus vulgaris L. ), rosemary ( Salvia rosmarinus L. ), and marjoram ( Origanum majorana L. ). At the stage of volatile compounds extraction to the gaseous phase the stationary miniature emission chamber system was employed. The method used to investigate the terpene emission level from culinary dried herbs was TD-GC-FID. The dried herb samples were conditioned in two temperature conditions – 25 °C and 50 °C. The calculated values of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) emitted from the investigated samples ranged from 0.739 µg·g − 1 (for rosemary) to 444 µg·g − 1 (for oregano). Sixteen representatives of terpenes emitted into the gaseous phase from the investigated samples were determined. In addition, on the basis of a comparative analysis of the emission of organic compounds into the gaseous phase from commercially available essential oils (derived from the same types of plants as the studied herbs), those compounds that can be considered characteristic and defining of a particular type of herb have been identified. This study introduces a non-invasive, solvent-free method for assessing the quality of dried culinary herbs by analyzing terpene emissions in the gaseous phase. This approach aligns with green analytical chemistry principles and offers a rapid, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional solvent-based extraction techniques.