Determination of the effect of sulphur fumigation on cinnamon quills with spatial variation of fumigation chamber and its effect on cinnamon tea.

Abstract

Sulphur fumigation is practiced on cinnamon quills and cut pieces to avoid fungal and insect attacks and to increase the characteristic golden yellow colour of Ceylon cinnamon. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of sulfur fumigation on cinnamon quills with spatial variation of the fumigation chamber to assess the effect on cinnamon tea made from fumigated bark. Processed cinnamon quills were subjected to fumigation with a constant concentration of sulfur: 5g of sulfur per 1kg of cinnamon, within three spatial sizes of 80, 100, and 135 cubic feet for 15- hour period. Just after fumigation, sulfur content analysis, moisture content analysis, oil yield, colour, insect count, water activity, and colony forming unit count (CFU) were measured. Cinnamon tea, made from 5g of ground cinnamon put into 150mL of hot water, was tested for pH, titratable acidity, and refractive index. The colour of the cinnamon quills (L*, a*, b*) was enhanced due to fumigation. The amount of residual sulfur in cinnamon quills after fumigation varied on the amount of cinnamon subjected to fumigation, but it did not vary on chamber size. In addition to this, there was an interaction effect of the above two factors, on the residual amount. Compared to the control sample, the live insect count of cinnamon quills was decreased because of fumigation, and the dead insect count was increased. The microbial count of fumigated cinnamon quills was lower than the non-fumigated quills, thus the shelf life of cinnamon quills was increased. Therefore, it is concluded that the colour values, insect count, and microbial count, of the fumigated quills were significantly varied with the chamber size and the number of cinnamon quills that were subjected to the sulfur fumigation process. The subsequent moisture content, oil yield, and water activity of cinnamon quills were not affected by fumigation. The pH value, titratable acidity, and refractive index of the samples of cinnamon tea of treated cinnamon quills showed significant differences from the control samples and it can be concluded that the cinnamon tea was affected by the sulfur dosage used.