Search Results (12)

This study delved into the interaction between corn starch and ethyl maltol during innovative repeated continuous heat-moisture treatment (RCHMT) and its impact on the quality of fried chicken nuggets. The results reveal that the complexation ratio of ethyl maltol is about 31.6%, and the complex creates dense microporous structures. Native starch and complex samples exhibited an A-type crystal structure, while the physical mixture sample showed superposition peaks of starch and ethyl maltol. Additionally, the peak of C-O-H def., CH₂ of the complex sample was blue-shifted to the larger wave number, and the hydrogen bond structure was enhanced. Moreover, the complex exhibited a higher resistant starch content and lower hydrolysis rate and amylose content than the physical mixture sample. The starch–ethyl maltol complex has been demonstrated to be a non-inclusion compound. It has been shown to reduce oil absorption and enhance the crispness of fried chicken nuggets, matching that of commercial products. This finding provides a direction for the development of innovative coating powders. Full article

Ethyl maltol was investigated using matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy and DFT calculations. In an argon matrix (14.5 K), the compound was found to exist in a single conformer (form I), characterized by an intramolecular hydrogen bond with an estimated energy of ~17 kJ mol⁻¹. The IR spectrum of this conformer was assigned, and the molecule’s potential energy landscape was explored to understand the relative stability and isomerization dynamics of the conformers. Upon annealing the matrix to 41.5 K, ethyl maltol was found to predominantly aggregate into a centrosymmetric dimer (2× conformer I) bearing two intermolecular hydrogen bonds with an estimated energy of ca. 28 kJ mol⁻¹ (per bond). The UV-induced (λ > 235 nm) photochemistry of the matrix-isolated ethyl maltol was also investigated. After 1 min of irradiation, band markers of two rearrangement photoproducts formed through the photoinduced detachment-attachment (PIDA) mechanism, in which the ethyl maltol radical acts as an intermediate, were observed: 1-ethyl-3-hydroxy-6-oxibicyclo [3.1.0] hex-3-en-2-one and 2-ethyl-2H-pyran-3,4-dione. The first undergoes subsequent reactions, rearranging to 4-hydroxy-4-propanoylcyclobut-2-en-1-one and photofragmenting to cyclopropenone and 2-hydroxybut-1-en-1-one. Other final products were also observed, specifically acetylene and CO (the expected fragmentation products of cyclopropenone), and CO₂. Overall, the study demonstrated ethyl maltol’s high reactivity under UV irradiation, with significant photochemical conversion occurring within minutes. The rapid photochemical conversion, with complete consumption of the compound in 20 min, should be taken into account in designing practical applications of ethyl maltol. Full article

Currently, research on the flavor components and their dynamic changes in roasted chicken with a special flavor is rare. In this study, a passion fruit-roasted chicken was prepared, its characteristic flavor components were profiled by flavoromics, and their evolution patterns and precursors were determined. The results showed that the characteristic flavor component with the highest contribution rate was ethyl butyrate (50.44%). In particular, some unique flavor compounds were identified compared with other roasted chicken products available. The main volatile flavor components in all stages of processing were alcohols, esters, and hydrocarbons, 15 to 30 min of roasting is an important stage for establishing the aroma system, and at the end, hydrocarbons were the main volatile compounds. During the 30-day storage period, the characteristic flavor components included ethyl butyrate, ethyl maltol, β-caryophyllene, and guaiacene. In conclusion, passion fruit-roasted chicken contained many characteristic flavor components, which were mainly formed within 15 to 30 min of roasting and were basically stable during the 30-day storage period. In a word, this work prepared a novel roasted chicken and revealed its mechanism of flavor formation at different baking stages and storage periods, which provided references for industrial production. Full article

The primary processing method of coffee plays a crucial role in determining its flavor profile. In this study, roasted coffee beans were subjected to three primary processing methods, i.e., natural processing (SC), washed processing (WC), and honey processing (MC), that were analyzed by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS metabolomics. Additionally, sensory evaluation was conducted by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) to assess coffee flavor characteristics. The results showed that 2642 non-volatile compounds and 176 volatile compounds were detected across the three primary processing methods. Furthermore, significant differentially changed non-volatile compounds (DCnVCs) and volatile compounds (DCVCs) were detected among SC/WC (137 non-volatile compounds; 32 volatile compounds), MC/SC (103 non-volatile compounds; 25 volatile compounds), and MC/WC (20 non-volatile compounds; 9 volatile compounds). Notable compounds, such as lichenin, 6-gingerdiol 5-acetate, 3-fluoro-2-hydroxyquinoline, and 4-(4-butyl-2,5-dioxo-3-methyl-3-phenyl-1-pyrrolidiny)benzenesulfonamide, were identified as important DCnVCs, while ethyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside, 2,3-butanediol, maltol, and pentane-1,2,5-triol were identified as significant DCVCs in SC/WC. In MC/SC, 3-fluoro-2-hydroxyquinoline, etimicin, lichenin, and imazamox were important DCnVCs, whereas ethyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside, 2-pyrrolidinone, furfuryl alcohol, and pentane-1,2,5-triol were import DCVCs. Lastly, MC/WC samples exhibited notable DCnVCS, such as (S)-2-hydroxy-2-phenylacetonitrile O-[b-D-apiosyl-1->2]-b-D-glucoside], CMP-2-aminoethyphosphonate, talipexole, and neoconvallatoxoloside, along with DCVCS including citric acid, mannonic acid, gamma-lactone, 3-(1-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)benzonitrile, and maltol. Therefore, the primary processing method was a useful influence factor for coffee compositions. Full article

Understanding the chemical nature of wine aroma demands accurate quantitative determinations of different odor-active compounds. Quantitative determinations of enolones (maltol, furaneol, homofuraneol, and sotolon) and vanillin derivatives (vanillin, methyl vanillate, ethyl vanillate, and acetovanillone) at low concentrations are complicated due to their high polarity. For this reason, this paper presents an improved and automated version for the accurate measure of these common trace wine polar compounds (enolones and vanillin derivatives). As a result, a faster and more user-friendly method with a reduction of organic solvents and resins was developed and validated. The optimization of some stages of the solid phase extraction (SPE) process, such as washing with an aqueous solution containing 1% NaHCO₃ at pH 8, led to cleaner extracts and solved interference problems. Due to the polarity of these type of compounds, an optimization of the large volume injection was also carried out. Finally, a programmable temperature vaporization (PTV) quartz glass inlet liner without wool was used. The injector temperature was raised to 300 °C in addition to applying a pressure pulse of 180 kPa for 4 min. Matrix effects were solved by the use of adequate internal standards, such as ethyl maltol and 3′,4′-(methylenedioxy)acetophenone. Method figures of merit were highly satisfactory: good linearity (r² > 0.98), precision (relative standard deviation, RSD < 10%), high recovery (RSD > 89%), and low detection limits (<0.7 μg/L). Enolones and vanillin derivatives are associated with wine aging. For this reason, the methodology was successfully applied to the quantification of these compounds in 16 Spanish red wines and 12 mistelles. Odor activity values (OAV) indicate that furaneol should be considered an aroma impact odorant in red wines and mistelles (OAV > 1) while homofuraneol and sotolon could also produce changes in their aroma perceptions (0.1 < OAV < 1). Full article

The use of e-cigarettes (ECs) has become increasingly popular worldwide, even though scientific results have not established their safety. Diacetyl (DA) and acetylpropionyl (AP), which can be present in ECs, are linked with lung diseases. Ethyl maltol (EM)—the most commonly used flavoring agent—can be present in toxic concentrations. Until now, there is no methodology for the determination of nicotine, propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), EM, DA, and acetylpropionyl in e-liquids that can be used as a quality control procedure. Herein, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied for the development of analytical methodologies for these substances. Two GC-MS methodologies were developed and fully validated, fulfilling the standards for the integration in a routine quality control procedure by manufacturers. As proof of applicability, the methodology was applied for the analysis of several e-liquids. Differences were observed between the labeled and the experimental levels of PG, VG, and nicotine. Three samples contained EM at higher concentrations compared to the other samples, while only one contained DA. These validated methodologies can be used for the quality control analysis of EC liquid samples regarding nicotine, PG, and VG amounts, as well as for the measurement of the EM. Full article

Under gas-liquid microextraction (GLME) operating conditions (extraction temperature 270 °C, extraction time 7 min, condensation temperature −2 °C, and carrier nitrogen gas speed 2.5 mL/min), ice cream samples, as a representative food, were pre-treated. The volatile aroma components of each sample was qualitatively analysed using GC-MS. The principal component analysis was conducted to classify the functional groups, which showed that alcohols, acids, esters, ketones, and aldehydes were the main compounds responsible for the aroma of ice cream. It was found that furan-3-carboxaldehyde, 3-furanmethanol, 2(5H)-furanone, 5-methylfuranal, 2,5-diformylfuran, 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-pyrone, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, ethyl maltol, and glycerol were routinely used flavour ingredients in ice cream. Full article

The Niamhom (Strobilanthes nivea Craib) plant was cultivated using a modern greenhouse with an automatic irrigation system controlled by the Internet of Things (IoT). The present study investigates the effects of fertilizers, including chemicals, cow manure fertilizer, and bio-fermented water with shading influences of 50 and 70% on plant growth and morphological characteristics. Additionally, the study aims to analyze the chemical constituents of cultivated Niamhom leaf evaluated by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Findings discovered that 50 and 70% shading did not affect plant stem size and canopy diameter. However, shading at 50% affects chlorophyll content, yield, dry weight, leaf diameter, plant height, and the number of leaves. There were no differences in plant growth parameters among the three fertilizer treatments, but significant differences were found in leaf number, leaf area, and chlorophyll content. The chemical fertilizers gave the highest values, followed by cow manure fertilizer and bio-fermented water. The leaves of the Niamhom plant grown in 70% shade with cow manure fertilizer application had the highest overall aromatic content, followed by plants grown in 50% shade with cow manure and chemical fertilizers, respectively. However, when the synergistic interaction of fertilizers and shade factor of 50 to 70% were examined, it was revealed that the chemical odorants of the Niamhom leaf interacted significantly. The whole aromatic substances were detectable in dichloromethane (DCM) extracts, except 2-hexanal in ethyl acetate mediated extract. GC-MS analysis revealed that the primary substances in Niamhom leave comprised 2-propionyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridine, 2-propionyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridine, hexanoic acid, 3,5,5-trimethyl-, nonyl ester, n-hexadecanoic acid, phytol, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid. The specific aroma compounds of Niamhom leaves that can be utilized as indicators for the herb’s potential consist of 2-hexenal, 2-acetyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridine, maltol, 2-acetyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridine, hexanoic acid, and 3,5,5-trimethyl-, nonyl ester. Future surveys are necessary to be performed for Niamhom as a potential herb plant for aromatic and several food applications. Full article

In thermal conversion utilization, nitrogen-rich biomass such as waste wood-based panels will release a large amount of NO_x into the atmosphere, causing serious harm to the surroundings. By means of co-pyrolysis, N in waste wood-based panels can be fixed in chars instead of discharging into the atmosphere in the form of volatile matter, which can reduce NO_x emission and lay a foundation for the preparation of nitrogen-rich carbon materials with high added value. As the most commonly used adhesive in the production of wood-based panels, urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive (UF) is the main nitrogen source in waste wood-based panels. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of glucose, ethyl maltol and 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone (DMHF) on nitrogen migration and conversion during UF pyrolysis by adjusting the different proportions of model compounds and UF. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that ethyl maltol and DMHF had lower thermal stability and the pyrolysis process was concentrated in the range of 90–168 °C, which does not coincide with the mass loss temperature of UF. UF can promote the pyrolysis of these three model compounds at the initial stage to some extent. The elemental analysis showed that the N retention in co-pyrolysis chars increased in varying degrees with the increase of the addition of model compounds; the nitrogen retention in chars of glucose-UF, ethyl maltol-UF and DMHF-UF increased by 28.47%, 3.48% and 16.45% with the increase of the model compound content from 50% to 90%, respectively. The XPS results showed that the relative content of N-6 in chars increased with the increase of ethyl maltol content, and the relative content of N-5 in chars increased with the increased addition of DMHF. Glucose had little effect on the distribution of N-functional groups in chars. Full article

The determination of flavor compounds using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) can be severely interfered with by complex food matrices in food systems, especially solid samples. In this study, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) was applied prior to HS-SPME to efficiently reduce the matrix effect in solid seafood samples. The method had high sensitivity (the quantification limits of maltol and ethyl maltol were 15 and 5 μg/kg, respectively), an excellent linear relationship (R2 ≥ 0.996), and the sample recovery rate was 89.0–118.6%. The relative standard deviation (RSD %) values for maltol and ethyl maltol were lower than 10%. Maltol (from 0.7 to 2.2 μg/g) and ethyl maltol (from 0.9 to 34.7 μg/g) in seafood were detected in the selected samples by the developed method. Finally, DLLME coupled with HS-SPME effectively removed the influence of sample matrix and improved the sensitivity of the method. The developed method was applicable in the analysis of flavor enhancers in complex matrix foods. Full article

E-cigarettes utilize a wide range of flavoring chemicals with respiratory health effects that are not well understood. In this study, we used pulmonary-associated cell lines to assess the in vitro cytotoxic effects of 30 flavoring chemicals. Human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) and both naïve and activated macrophages (THP-1) were treated with 10, 100, and 1000 µM of flavoring chemicals and analyzed for changes in viability, cell membrane damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and inflammatory cytokine release. Viability was unaffected for all chemicals at the 10 and 100 µM concentrations. At 1000 µM, the greatest reductions in viability were seen with decanal, hexanal, nonanal, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, vanillin, alpha-pinene, and limonene. High amounts of ROS were elicited by vanillin, ethyl maltol, and the diketones (2,3-pentanedione, 2,3-heptanedione, and 2,3-hexanedione) from both cell lines. Naïve THP-1 cells produced significantly elevated levels of IL-1β, IL-8, and TNF-α when exposed to ethyl maltol and hexanal. Activated THP-1 cells released increased IL-1β and TNF-α when exposed to ethyl maltol, but many flavoring chemicals had an apparent suppressive effect on inflammatory cytokines released by activated macrophages, some with varying degrees of accompanying cytotoxicity. The diketones, L-carvone, and linalool suppressed cytokine release in the absence of cytotoxicity. These findings provide insight into lung cell cytotoxicity and inflammatory cytokine release in response to flavorings commonly used in e-cigarettes. Full article

The perception of aroma mixtures is based on interactions beginning at the peripheral olfactory system, but the process remains poorly understood. The perception of a mixture of ethyl isobutyrate (Et-iB, strawberry-like odor) and ethyl maltol (Et-M, caramel-like odor) was investigated previously in both human and animal studies. In those studies, the binary mixture of Et-iB and Et-M was found to be configurally processed. In humans, the mixture was judged as more typical of a pineapple odor, similar to allyl hexanoate (Al-H, pineapple-like odor), than the odors of the individual components. To explore the key features of this aroma blend, we developed an in silico approach based on molecules having at least one of the odors—strawberry, caramel or pineapple. A dataset of 293 molecules and their related odors was built. We applied the notion of a “social network” to describe the network of the odors. Additionally, we explored the structural properties of the molecules in this dataset. The network of the odors revealed peculiar links between odors, while the structural study emphasized key characteristics of the molecules. The association between “strawberry” and “caramel” notes, as well as the structural diversity of the “strawberry” molecules, were notable. Such elements would be key to identifying potential odors/odorants to form aroma blends. Full article