Gajc-Wolska J., Rosłon W., Osińska E.

Two cultivars of dill (‘Szmaragd’ and ‘Moravan’) were used for this experiment. The seeds were sown two times: in the second ten days of May and in the second ten days of June. The raw material (shoots with leaves) was harvested in first ten days of July and in first ten days of August. After harvest the raw material was dried in the laboratory drying chamber at 35oC, and stabilized by deep freezing at minus 85oC for 48 hours. Then it was kept at -20oC for two months. Two-years results of the study indicate that the content of volatile oil as well as ‘overall odour intensity’ and intensity of the ‘dill odour’ were affected by the method of stabilization, time of harvest and cultivar. The main component of the volatile oil from dry raw material was ?-phellandrene, whereas from deep frozen herb - dill ether and p-cymene. The high overall odour intensity and the positive note of the ‘dill odour’ were characteristic for the frozen raw material of the cultivar ‘Szmaragd’ from the first harvest and from the cultivar ‘Moravan’ from the second harvest as well as the dried raw material of the cultivar ‘ Szmaragd’ from both harvests.

Key words: cultivars, term of harvest, volatile oil, sensory analysis