Cloves

 Cloves 

Eugenia caryophyllus

Family- Myrtaceae

Hindi- Laung

Clove trees are indigenous to small volcanic islands of Ternate, Tidier, Mutir, Makyan and Bachian in the Moluccas. The biggest clove-producing regions in the world today are Zanzibar followed byPemba, Madagascar and Indonesia. In India cloves are cultivated on a small scale in the Nilgiris, Tenbasi hills and Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu state and kottayam and Quilon districts in Kerala state.

The cloves of commerce are the dried unopened flower-buds obtained from the tree Eugenia caryophyllus. Clove trees thrive best in insular, maritime climates in the tropics in low altitudes. Drier weather is desirable for harvesting and drying the crop. The best soils for cloves are deep sandy, red, acid loams. Good deep drainage is essential and water logging is fatal.

Cultivation Practices

Cloves are propagated by seeds. Hulled washed seeds produce better seedlings then unhealed seeds. The seeds are planted in shaded nurseries and seedlings are raised. Shade and wind breaks are necessary in the early stages of growth. Trees begin to flower at about six years and continue to produce until seventy years.

 Clove clusters are picked by hand before the buds open, but when they are full size and turning pink. The clusters are stemmed by pressing the bunch against the palm of the hand with a slight twisting movement, when the buds snap off cleanly from the pedicels. The stemmed cloves are dried in the Sun on mats made of palm leaves, usually Hyphaene spp. The cloves are spread thinly and are stirred frequently. In good weather drying is completed in 4-7 days. Quick drying process produces the best quality spice. The love stems are also dried. They are used for extraction of clove oil. The average annual yield of dried clove per tree is about 3.15 kg but in good years yields of 18 kg or more per tree are not common.

Botany of the plant

A small evergreen tree conical in shape when young, later becoming cylindrical. The trunk often forks near base to give 2-3 main erect branches. Bark grey, rough; leaves opposite, glabrous, aromatic; inflorescence terminal, in paniculate cymes; flowers are usually borne in groups of three. Bud initials appear six months before the buds are ready to harvest; fruits called mother of cloves, are dark red, fleshy drupes, containing one, rarely two seeds.

Chemical Composition

The volatile oil derived from the dried buds by steam distillation, contains as its main constituents, free eugenol (70-90%), eugenol acetate and caryophylline.

Uses

• As a spice- Clove is very aromatic, has a fine flavour and warming qualities. It is used as a culinary spice.
• Food industry- Cloves are used for gravies, pickles, baked goods, cakes , confectionery, chocolate, puddings, desserts, sweet syrups etc.
• Oil of clove- It is used for the flavouring of all kinds of food products (meats, baked goods, confectionaries, table sauces, pickles etc.
• Cosmetics- Clove oil is used in perfumes, bath soaps, bath salts and toothpastes.
• Scientific work- Clove oil is used in biological laboratories in the preparation of permanent mounts of plant materials and as clearing agent in microscopy.
• Clove oil is used in preparation of eugenol and vanillin.
• Medicine- Cloves have been used in India and China for over 2,000 years to check tooth decay and to counter halitosis. Cloves are stimulative, antispasmodic and carminative. Clove oil is used in  dentistry in dentifrices etc.