Nutmeg has a distinctive, pungent fragrance and a warm, slightly sweet taste; it is used to flavor many kinds of baked goods, confections, puddings, meats, sausages, sauces, vegetables, and some beverages such as eggnog. Nutmeg has aromatic, stimulant, narcotic, carminative, astringent, aphrodisiac, hypolipidaemic, antithrombotic, anti-platelet aggregation, antifungal, anti-dysenteric, and anti-inflammatory activities. The spice is used as a remedy for stomach ache, rheumatism, and vomiting during pregnancy.
Nutmeg contains a volatile oil, a fixed oil, proteins, fats, starch, and mucilage. The fixed oil contains myristin and myristic acid. Nutmeg yields 5–15% of volatile oil. The main component of nutmeg essential oil was a hydrocarbon monoterpene (61-88% as α-pinene, β-pinene, sabinene) monoterpenes acid (5-15%), and aromatic ether (2-18% such as myristicin, elemicin, safrole). Nutmeg oil has 37 components and 31.3% was terpinen-4-ol, reported that nutmeg oil has antifungal activity.
Because of its aroma, nutmeg’s essential oil has been used as a natural flavoring extract and as a perfume in the cosmetic industries. In particular, the oil has been used as a flavoring agent, replacing ground nutmeg in order to avoid leaving particles in foods and beverages.
Nutmeg oil is also known for other properties, such as insecticide, fungicide, and antibacterial. In this case, nutmeg essential oil is considered to be a promising biopreservative.
Nutmeg oil
