454 Handbook of herbs and spices
dua thom (Vietnamese), and ban yan le (Chinese). In India and Sri Lanka, the plant
is named ‘rampe’ (Singhalese and Hindi) (Katzer, 2001).
27.2 Cultivation, production and processing.........................................
Pandan wangi is mainly grown by farmers of Southeast Asia. Its large distribution as
well as the lack of a wild population, especially in Southeast Asia, implies a long
tradition of cultivation. As the male flowers are extremely rare, and there is no
scientific description of a female flower for this species, its main propagation is by
cutting. The easiest and most effective way to propagate P. amaryllifolius for landscape
and household uses is to place the cuttings of stem or stem tip having at least three
or more nodes with root into damp soil located in a hot and dry area with good and
indirect sunlight. The young plantlets will grow up to about 2 ft high within 12–18
months depending on the conditions of soil and sunlight. If a mature plant is left to
grow longer, a number of young plantlets will develop along the main stem of the
mother plant. At the same time, the new prop roots will reach down to the ground like
stilts supporting the whole plant. Its population then expands to the surrounding area
regardless of soil type and condition. This systematic natural propagation of pandan
wangi also reflects the high adaptability of the plant.
Nevertheless, attempts have been made by groups of scientists for the expeditious
propagation of this interesting aromatic herb by applying biotechnology. A complete
method for the micropropagation of P. amaryllifolius through tissue culture has been
established (Neelwarne et al., 2004). By this method, shoot buds of the mature plant,
terminal and lateral, can be cultured in a suitable tissue culture medium until the
plantlets are obtained and ready to transfer to soil. Detailed information on the most
suitable nutrient and growth regulator compositions of the culture medium as well as
the best combination of light and temperature conditions for maximizing the
multiplication of the shoot cultures is also provided. Another study emphasizing a
protocol for clonal propagation of P. amaryllifolius has been reported at the same
time (Gangopadhyay et al., 2004). In this study, the genetic fidelity of the tissue-
culture-raised plantlets was ascertained through identical isozymic and RAPD profiles.
Additionally, concentrations of the impact aroma compound, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline,
were comparatively determined in both the mother population and tissue-cultured
clones. Micropropagation has been revealed by this study as one of the most viable
biotechnological tools for conservation of P. amaryllifolius germ plasms.
A sweet and delightful flavor of pandan wangi, which is well-known throughout
the world as an important component in Asian cookery, has made the industrial
production of both natural extracts and artificial flavorings containing green food
colors for use as food additives in Southeast Asian countries enlarge during the past
two decades. Because of their strong flavor, cheap prices and ready availability,
many types of artificial pandanus essence with deep green color are widely sold in
the markets of Southeast Asian countries and replacing the fresh pandanus leaves. In
Western countries, Pandanus leaves are purchasable in many forms: powder, paste,
fresh frozen or whole dried leaves sealed in plastic bags, most of which are imported
from Southeast Asia. During industrial processing, there is not only a decomposition
of the impact aroma compounds but also a formation of some off-flavors, which can
diversify aroma quality of the Pandanus products. Thus, processing conditions such