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Caraway contains terpenes such as carvone, limonene and carveol, that have antibacterial and antifungal properties. Subcritical-water extraction (SWE) can be used to extract terpenes by changing temperature under high pressure. This study evaluated the SWE of terpenes from caraway when varying the extraction conditions of temperature (110 °C-190 °C), time (5-15 min), and particle size (1000, 850-1000, 425-850, and 425 μm). The optimal conditions for the extraction of carvone, which determines the quality of caraway, were found to be 170 °C, 15 min, and a particle size of 425 μm. Also, the carvone yield was much higher when using SWE (28.5 mg/g caraway) than for solvent extraction (20.2 mg/g caraway) and hydrodistillation (19.8 mg/g caraway). The overall results showed that oxygenated terpene like carvone has a high solubility in subcritical water, and nonoxygenated terpene like limonene can partially be converted to carvone via a process of SWE.

The effects of onion or caraway on changes in the content of biogenic amines were examined in sauerkraut during a fermentation process at 18 °C or 31 °C for 14 days and subsequent storage at 4 °C for 12 weeks. The amines were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography with pre-column benzoylation. Total biogenic-amine concentration at the end of the fermentation was lower at 31 °C than at 18 °C. However, at this lower temperature, the presence of caraway or onion more significantly (than at 31 °C) reduced the total biogenic-amine content as compared to the control sample without an additive. After 12 weeks of refrigerated storage, concentrations of phenethylamine, tryptamine, and tyramine in the sauerkraut fermented with caraway (and concentrations of putrescine and tryptamine in the sauerkraut fermented with onion) at 31 °C increased as compared to the samples on the last day of fermentation, but did not pose a risk for consumer health.

This paper examines the effects of gluten-free bread enriched with functional ingredients (milk powder, poppy, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, egg yolk, carum, hazel nuts and amaranth) on the morphological and biochemical parameters and antioxidant status of rats serum. Rats were provided test diets – gluten-free breads and water ad libitum . After 14 days, the animals were weighed and killed. A hazel nut-amaranth bread diet significantly increased the level of thrombocytes when compared to control bread. A mixed bread diet significantly decreased cholesterol levels in rats. All fortified breads decreased triglyceride levels and alanine transaminase activity and caused an increase in antiradical activity of the serum. In rats fed with poppy-milk bread, milk-seed bread and mixed bread, a marked decrease in superoxide dismutase activity was found. Enriched breads reduced the levels of triglyceride and improved the antiradical properties of serum, although the physiological relevance of this needs to be confirmed by human studies.

The various solvent fractions of star-anise ( Illicium verum ) and black caraway ( Carum nigrum ), along with their spice powders and volatile oils, were prepared and evaluated for antioxygenic activity, using different methods. Star-anise powder and its ethanol/water (80:20)-soluble fraction showed strong antioxygenic activity in refined sunflower oil while the petroleum ether fraction exhibited marginal antioxygenic activity and the water-soluble fraction was practically devoid of any activity in sunflower oil. The black caraway powder showed marginal antioxygenic activity while its ethanol/water fraction (80:20) showed strong antioxygenic activity and all other fractions showed slight pro-oxygenic activity in refined sunflower oil. Both the spice powders and their extracts were also evaluated for antioxidant activity by linoleic acid peroxidaton, β-carotene-linoleate and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) methods. Both the star-anise and black caraway powders, as well as their ethanol/water extracts, exhibited strong antioxygenic activity. Volatile oils from both the spices exhibited antioxygenic activity and the activity did not seem to be concentration-dependent. Volatile oils from star-anise showed relatively higher antioxygenic activity than did those from black caraway. Gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC–MS) studies on star-anise and black caraway volatile oils resulted in the identification of 25 and 22 compounds, respectively, representing 94–97% of the total content.