| Description |
Beta-cubebene, also known as (-)-B-cubebene, is a member of the class of compounds known as sesquiterpenoids. Sesquiterpenoids are terpenes with three consecutive isoprene units. Beta-cubebene is a citrus and fruity tasting compound and can be found in a number of food items such as sweet basil, roman camomile, pot marjoram, and sweet bay, which makes beta-cubebene a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. Beta-cubebene can be found primarily in saliva. Piper cubeba, cubeb or tailed pepper is a plant in genus Piper, cultivated for its fruit and essential oil. It is mostly grown in Java and Sumatra, hence sometimes called Java pepper. The fruits are gathered before they are ripe, and carefully dried. Commercial cubebs consist of the dried berries, similar in appearance to black pepper, but with stalks attached – the "tails" in "tailed pepper". The dried pericarp is wrinkled, and its color ranges from grayish brown to black. The seed is hard, white and oily. The odor of cubebs is described as agreeable and aromatic and the taste as pungent, acrid, slightly bitter and persistent. It has been described as tasting like allspice, or like a cross between allspice and black pepper . |
