Handbook of Herbs and Spices - Volume 3

226 Handbook of herbs and spices

is then scraped, making an area up to 6.5 cm^2. When scraping is complete, the

taproot is shaded using a construction of twigs and stones.

5. Two to three days after scraping, the first flow of sap is collected from the top of

the taproot. After this, a slightly deeper cut is made, about 0.5 cm from the top

and sap is collected again. A third cut may be made to induce further flow of sap.

The process of cutting and collecting sap is continued for 10 to 15 cycles until

the flow of sap stops.

6. After each cutting, the taproot is covered with twigs and stones to prevent soil or

gravel falling onto the cut surface, and to maintain cool conditions under which

the taproot can mature.

7. The sap is stored in pits dug in the soil. The pit size may vary but it is typically

1.8 m long, 1.8m wide and 2.4 m deep. The sides of the pit are plastered with

mud and the top covered with stalks of male asafetida plants, leaving an opening

of about 0.3 m diameter, through which the daily collection of sap can be poured

into the pit.

The asafetida collected in the pit is generally very thick and sticky, and can be

moulded into any shape by hand. It continues to mature during storage in the

pit (Pruthi 2001), and it is this resin made into tears or mass that is marketed as

asafetida. It varies in colour from white to greyish or reddish. White asafetida is

packed first in cloth bags and then in jute bags. Dark red asafetida is generally packed

in goat- or sheep-skin, where it matures further. It has a powerful foul odour, and

bitter and acrid taste due to sulphur compounds, and is called ‘Devil’s Dung’.

Interestingly it is also known as ‘Food of the Gods’. All parts of F. foetida have the

strong asafetida smell.

Some Pathans in Afghanistan collect the resin from wild plants by cutting the

above-ground stems. They also chop and boil roots and stems in water and collect the

resin by evaporating the water, but the quality of such resin is inferior. The average

yield of oleogum is roughly 40 g per plant, but certain plants may yield as much as

900 g (Krishnamurthy 1994).

Galbanum is a gum resin exuded from the lower stems of another species, F.

galbaniflua Boiss and Buinse, a stout perennial herb of North Western Asia. The gum

occurs in the form of distinct irregular tears or masses, is yellow to brown in colour

and has a powerful and tenacious aroma.

Sagapenum is similar to asafetida, but occurs as the hardened exudation of another

species, F. persica Wild or F. snowilziana D.C. It is exported to India from Saudi

Arabia and Iran and marketed largely in Mumbai as broken fragments.

Sambal is the oleoresin gum of F. sumbal. It is produced in Iran and the main

market is again India.

12.5 Processing.......................................................................................

The main processed products from asafetida are oil of asafetida and compounded

asafetida. The oil does not have much commercial value. The flavouring and

pharmaceutical industries use mainly alcoholic tinctures of the gum resin (Anon.

1991). Oil of asafetida is extracted by steam distillation of the gum resin and yield

varies from 3.3 to 3.7%. The chief component of the oil is secondary butylpropenyl