Abstract
Chopi, Zanthaxylum piperitum DC., has been used as natural spice traditionally in the Far East countries including Korea. This study was performed with the object of providing basic data, firstly for the decision of the appropriate harvesting time for traditional use of chopi and secondly for developing a new spice satisfying the national dietary custom from chopi as raw material. Concerning the conte수 and its change of the proximate composition, the content of moisture and crude protein decreased in all sample, while the content of fiber and ash tended to increased with the lapse of harvest time. The content of mineral elements tended to increase in every sample with the lapse of harvest time, and contents of K and P were higher than that of Ca, Na and Mg. Every sample showed the highest content of 15~16 components of total amino acids at the first period and the content decreased gradually with the lapse of harvest time. On the basis of the first period, every sample showed the highest content of aspartic acid, the lowest content of methionine and the trace of cysteine. Free amino acids increased considerably with the lapse of harvest time for peels of chopi and minchopi broth, while the amount for leaves increased on the contrary.
