a INRS-ETE, Université du Québec , Québec , Canada.
b Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM).
Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2017 Apr 13;57(6):1078-1088. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2013.858235.
Spices are parts of plants that due to their properties are used as colorants, preservatives, or medicine. The uses of spices have been known since long time, and the interest in the potential of spices is remarkable due to the chemical compounds contained in spices, such as phenylpropanoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. Spices, such as cumin (cuminaldehyde), clove (eugenol), and cinnamon (cinnamaldehyde) among others, are known and studied for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties due to their main chemical compounds. These spices have the potential to be used as preservatives in many foods namely in processed meat to replace chemical preservatives. Main chemical compounds in spices also confer other properties providing a variety of applications to spices, such as insecticidal, medicines, colorants, and natural flavoring. Spices provide beneficial effects, such as antioxidant activity levels that are comparable to regular chemical antioxidants used so they can be used as a natural alternative to synthetic preservatives. In this review, the main characteristics of spices will be described as well as their chemical properties, different applications of these spices, and the advantages and disadvantages of their use.
香料是植物的一部分，由于其特性，被用作着色剂、防腐剂或药物。香料的用途由来已久，由于香料中含有的化学化合物，如苯丙烷类、萜类、类黄酮和花青素等，人们对香料的潜在价值产生了浓厚的兴趣。香料，如孜然（枯茗醛）、丁香（丁子香酚）和肉桂（肉桂醛）等，因其主要化学化合物而具有抗菌和抗氧化特性，因此被人们所熟知和研究。这些香料有可能作为许多食品的防腐剂使用，特别是在加工肉类中替代化学防腐剂。香料中的主要化学化合物还赋予了其他特性，为香料提供了多种应用，如杀虫剂、药物、着色剂和天然调味料。香料具有有益的作用，如抗氧化活性水平可与常用的化学抗氧化剂相媲美，因此可以作为合成防腐剂的天然替代品。在这篇综述中，将描述香料的主要特性及其化学性质、这些香料的不同应用以及它们使用的优点和缺点。
