Comparison of nonvolatile taste components in 18 strong fragrance spices

Abstract

In order to investigate the taste compounds of 18 strong fragrance spices, high performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the content of free amino acids, nucleotides and organic acids. Cluster analysis was used to classify on the basis of similar data. The results showed that the content of free amino acid in tarragon was the highest, 44.97 g/kg, followed thyme, 11.88 g/kg. The contents of organic acids in 3 spice samples were significantly higher compared with others, including thyme (54.67 g/kg), sweet basil (42.28 g/kg) and small cardamon (40.72 g/kg). Nucleotides' contents were significantly higher in star anise (3.54 g/kg) than the other 17 spice samples. The taste active value (TAV) of glutamic acid (22.01) was the highest. In addition, the TAVs of lactic acid, acetic acid, ascorbic acid, tartaric acid and malic acid in 18 spice samples were also more than 1, which indicated that these compounds contribute greatly to spices taste. The equivalent umami concentration (EUC) of tarragon was the highest, with 26.15 g monosodium glutamate (MSG)/100 g. The 18 strong fragrance spices were divided into 2 categories according to the cluster analysis of EUC. The tarragon and dill were one category, other 16 spices were the other category. When the Euclidean distance increased to 25, the tarragon and dill were incorporated into the category of other 16 spices. ARTICLE HISTORY

Characterization of the taste compounds in 20 pungent spices by high-performance liquid chromatography

“…Mori et al [35] reported that 5′-IMP and 5′-GMP were the main 5′-nucleotides. These findings were similar to those reported by Duan et al [9] Moreover, 5′-nucleotides could reduce the generation of unpleasant flavor during food processing [36]. Therefore, the amount of salt could be reduced by adding 5′-IMP and 5′-GMP or a mixture of them in food products, which will reduce the risk of diseases caused by excessive salt intake [37].…”

“…Horseradish has highest content of total free amino acids (46.67 g/kg) because of its higher total bitter amino acids content (40.26 g/kg), especially with the content of Arg (24.84 g/kg). The bitter free amino acids are rich in pungent spices, which is similar to strong fragrance spices [9] and elegant spices [10]. The proportion of umami free amino acids in 3 spices were more than 50%, including white mustard (58.7%), black mustard (67.6%), and peppermint (75.1%).…”

“…4), and the residue was re-extracted twice by following the aforementioned steps. Subsequently, the supernatant was mixed and diluted to 50 mL to obtain test solution I, which was used to detect organic acids and 5′-nucleotides [9,10]. Test solution I (2 mL) was added to 1 mL of sulfosalicylic acid, and then diluted to 5 mL with 1 3 0.01 M HCl to obtain test solution II, which was used to detect free amino acids [9,10].…”

“…Therefore, gaining a deep understanding of the chemical compositions and the taste-active compounds in spices will make a meaningful contribution and could provide guidance for the standardization of spices application and further processing. In our previous work, the taste components of strong fragrance spices and elegant spices have been detected [9,10]. Therefore, the taste components of pungent spices should be studied to complete the taste database of spices.…”

Characterization of the Key Aroma Compounds in the Fruit of Litsea pungens Hemsl. (LPH) by GC-MS/O, OAV, and Sensory Techniques

“…is information confirmed the abundance of pharmacological properties of LPH. According to the Chinese natural spices classification standard (GB/T 21725-2017), LPH with a strong aroma is characterized as one of the 20 pungent type spices [20,21]. Based on its unique characteristics of citrus, sweet lemon, camphor wood, and green aroma, LPH is also a vital fragrance applied to many southwestern Chinese dishes, such as cooking beef or lamb, chili sauce, and pickled vegetables, especially the traditional Zhijiang Blood Duck (Huaihua, Hunan province) [6][7][8].…”