LUND, SWEDEN (REUTERS) - Fresh basil is a tasty herb loved by millions. But when it is dried and put in jars it can lose taste and aroma.

These researchers say they have found a way to make dried herbs taste almost as good as fresh.

Giving brief electric shocks to fresh herbs before drying them could improve the taste of dried herbs, say food technologists and biologists at Sweden's Lund University.

The shocks open up the leaf's pores.The technique halves the drying time, cutting commercial costs.