18C-18 |
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X. YU, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 905 South Goodwin Ave., 399 Bevier Hall, Urbana, IL 61801, Y. S. Song, Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 905 S Goodwin Street, Urbana, IL 61801, and K. R. Cadwallader, Dept. of Food Science & Human Nutrition, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1302 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Urbana, IL 61801. The bay tree is extensively cultivated in the Mediterranean region and in the United States in California. Bay leaves are robust, strongly aromatic herbs possessing a woody, astringent flavor and minty aroma. Dried bay leaves are commonly used for seasoning of meat products, soups and fish. Some recent studies have focused on the aroma components of fresh Turkish bay leaves, but little work has been done to determine the unique flavor profile of commercial dried California bay leaves. The objective of this study was to identify the characteristic aroma compounds of commercial dried California bay leaves (Laurus nobilis L.). Three different commercial dried California bay leaves were obtained from a local grocery store. Solvent extraction with dichloromethane followed by a Solvent Assisted Flavor Evaporation (SAFE) clean-up step was used to isolate volatile components from the ground leaves. Key components were identified and quantified by gas chomotography-olfactometry (GCO) and gas chomotography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The compound 1,8 cineol (eucalyptol; eucalyptus oil-like) was found to have the greatest impact on the overall aroma of dried California bay leaves. Other aroma-active compounds included: 4-methyl-1-(1-methylethyl)-bicyclo[3.1.0]hex-3-en-2-one (spearmint-like), a-pinene (pine needle-like), linalool (floral, honeysuckle-like), and eugenol (4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol, clove-like). Among the aroma-active compounds 1,8-Cineol (7515 to 9440 mg/g dry weight basis), a-pinene (2250 to 1640 mg/g) and eugenol (1185 to 1975 mg/g ) were present in high abundance, while linalool (918 to 1474 mg/g ) and 4-methyl-1-(1-methylethyl)-bicycle[3.1.0]hex-3-en-2-one (380 to 629 mg/g) were found at lower concentrations. Information obtained from this study may have significance to other studies on dried bay leaves, and may be useful for flavor chemists who want to preserve, mimic or reproduce the unique flavor of dried bay leaves.
Session 18C, Food Chemistry: Food composition, analysis and volatiles
2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana |