JAMAICAN GINGER is usually exported as the peeled, dried product to be used as flavouring in the international food industry.
With an eye on the emerging US multi-billion dollar neutraceuticals and functional foods industry, researchers at the Scientific Research Council (SRC) have recently investigated the pungency factors in ginger, which are known to have health-producing properties as well.
The work done on ginger as a neutraceutical by Y.A. Bailey-Shaw, W.A. Gallimore, S.L. Hibbert and C.S. Reid was reported, at the 16th Annual National Conference on Science and Technology hosted last November by the Scientific Research Council, in a paper, "Jamaican Ginger (Zingiber officianale): A Source of Health, Wealth and Knowledge?"
Neutraceuticals and functional foods are described in the industry as any non-toxic foods or food ingredients which have been scientifically proven to provide medical or health benefits including the prevention and treatment of diseases.
The Neutraceuticals and Functional Foods Industry has an estimated current value of US$14 billion per annum and is growing rapidly. The earning potential of the Jamaican ginger industry is estimated at US$ 964, 000 (J$48 million).
Ginger, which originated in Asia and brought to the West Indies by the Spanish, has been used, since ancient times, by several groups as a medicinal herb. Ginger has been used as a digestive aid, an anti-nausea remedy, for the treatment of bleeding disorders, rheumatism, diarrhoea, respiratory conditions, and as a body-warming (thermogenic) agent and aphrodisiac.
The effectiveness of ginger in treating these and other medical conditions, the SRC researchers say, is determined by the presence of active compounds in the plant, the gingerols and shogaols, which are also responsible for the pungency of ginger.
Several clinical and pharmacological studies have established the efficacy of these ginger compounds in promoting health. Studies conducted using laboratory animals have found that the active ingredients of ginger, gingerol and shogaol have analgesic (pain-relieving), sedative, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumour properties, among others of medical significance. Ginger has also been found to reduce cholesterol levels by promoting its excretion and blocking its absorption.
The SRC research team compared the quality and quantity of ginger oil and oleoresin extracted from the different varieties of ginger cultivated in Jamaica, compared the yields of extracts obtained by different methods, extracted the pungent compounds, and identified and quantified the active compounds in the extracts. Both fresh and dried ginger was used.
They found between about 13 and 26 per cent of gingerols in the ginger extracts, depending on the variety of ginger, where the ginger is grown, whether the ginger was fresh or dried, and the method of extraction used. Jamaican ginger has been found to have about one to three per cent of shogaols.
According to the researchers, their analysis provided a "valuable fingerprint for the standardisation of ginger extracts, which is most important in the development of a neutraceuticals industry."
They concluded that, "Jamaican --ginger oleoresin extracts are of a high quality, irrespective of the area of cultivation of the ginger. These extracts have proven to be comparable, and even superior, to known international gingers in relation to the quantities of actives present. There are also major implications in the area of health which if taken advantage of, could lead to major economic gains if a Neutraceuticals/Functional Foods Industry is developed."
Prepared from Conference paper and other sources for media by Martin Henry, Communications Specialist.
