18.3 What are the chemicals that give fruity aromas?
Description
This article is from the Chemistry FAQ, by Bruce Hamilton B.Hamilton@irl.cri.nz with numerous contributions by others.
18.3 What are the chemicals that give fruity aromas?
Most of the desirable food aromas come from low to medium molecular weight
organic compounds - usually alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones, and
lactones. These may be " natural " ( extracted from natural sources ),
" nature-identical " ( synthetic, but identical to known natural compounds ),
and " artificial " ( synthetic, not found in nature ). The perceived aroma of
molecules can change dramatically with minor isomeric or structural changes,
and common fruity aromas are usually complex mixtures of several compounds.
Because man-made chemicals are frequently made from chemicals derived from
fossil fuels, the isotopic ratios of the carbon atoms has been used to
discriminate between natural and nature-identical chemicals. Natural
processes usually involve the use of enzymes that selectively produce a
specific isomer, and some man-made aromas are now produced enzymatically.
Chiral chemistry, often utilising chiral chromatography that was initially
developed for pharmaceuticals, is now also being used for the production
and testing of man-made aromas, as enantiomerically-pure aroma chemicals
command premium prices.
Some chemicals are listed below, along with their use in either fragrances
and/or flavours, and boiling point ( 760 mmHg, unless otherwise stated ).
Some of them are also considered toxic, and thus their use may be controlled.
Volume A11 of Ullmann has an excellent monograph on flavours and fragrances,
and more detail can be obtained from the journal Perfumer and Flavorist.
The catalogues of well-known suppliers such as Dragoco GmbH ( Germany ),
L.Givaudin and Cie ( Switzerland ), and Takasago Perfumery Company ( Japan ),
also contain information on chemical composition and health and safety.
Chemical BP CAS RN Application
C (mmHg)
acetoin 148 [513-86-0] butter
acetophenone 202 [98-86-2] orange blossom
benzyl acetate 206 [140-11-4] jasmine
butyl acetate 125 [123-86-4] apple
2,3-butanedione 88 [431-03-8] butter
(+)-carvone 230 [2244-16-8] caraway, dill
(-)-carvone 230 [6485-40-1] spearmint
citral 229 [5392-40-5] lemon
citronellal 207 [2385-77-5] balm mint
decanal 208 [112-31-2] citrus
dihydromyrcenol 78 (1) [18479-58-8] lavender
2,6-dimethyl-2-heptanol 171 [13254-34-7] freesia
ethyl butyrate 120 [105-54-4] pineapple
ethyl 2t-4c-decadienoate 71 (45) [3025-30-7] pear
ethyl hexanoate 168 [123-66-0] pineapple
ethyl isovalerate 132 [108-64-4] blueberry
ethyl 2-methylbutyrate 133 [7452-79-1] apple
geraniol 229 [1066-24-1] roselike
hexyl acetate 169 [142-92-7] pear
hexyl salicylate 168 (12) [6259-76-3] azalea
1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-butanone [5471-51-2] raspberry
isoamyl acetate 143 [123-92-2] banana
(+)-limonene 176 [5989-27-5] lemon
linalool 198 [78-70-6] lily of the valley
linalyl acetate 220 [115-95-7] bergamot
8-mercapto-p-menthan-3-one 57 (8) [38462-22-5] blackcurrant
1-p-methene-8-thiol 40 (1) [71159-90-5] grapefruit
3-methyl-2-cyclopenten-2-ol-1-one [80-71-7] caramel
4-methyl-2(2-methyl-1-propenyl)tetrahydropyran
70 (12) [16490-43-1] rose
myrcenol 78 (50) [543-39-5] lime
2t-6c-nonadien-1-ol 98 (11) [28069-72-9] violet
3-octanol 175 [20296-29-1] mushroom
1-octen-3-ol 84 (25) [3391-86-4] mushroom
phenethyl acetate 238 [103-45-7] rose
phenethyl alcohol 220 [60-12-8] rose
phenethyl isoamyl ether [56011-02-0] chamomile
2-propenyl hexanoate pineapple
alpha-pinene 156 [80-56-8] pine
alpha-terpineol 217 [98-55-5] lilac
alpha-trichloromethylbenzyl acetate [90-17-5] rose
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