Identification of potent odorants in Chinese jasmine green tea scented with flowers of Jasminum sambac

J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Aug 14;50(17):4878-84. doi: 10.1021/jf020282h.

Abstract

The odorants in Chinese jasmine green tea scented with jasmine flowers (Jasminum sambac) were separated from the infusion by adsorption to Porapak Q resin. Among the 66 compounds identified by GC and GC/MS, linalool (floral), methyl anthranilate (grape-like), 4-hexanolide (sweet), 4-nonanolide (sweet), (E)-2-hexenyl hexanoate (green), and 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone (sweet) were extracted as potent odorants by an aroma extract dilution analysis and sensory analysis. The enantiomeric ratios of linalool in jasmine tea and Jasminum sambac were determined by a chiral analysis for the first time in this study: 81.6% ee and 100% ee for the (R)-(-)-configuration, respectively. The jasmine tea flavor could be closely duplicated by a model mixture containing these six compounds on the basis of a sensory analysis. The omission of methyl anthranilate and the replacement of (R)-(-)-linalool by (S)-(+)-linalool led to great changes in the odor of the model. These two compounds were determined to be the key odorants of the jasmine tea flavor.

MeSH terms

  • Acyclic Monoterpenes
  • Adult
  • Chromatography, Gas
  • Female
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Humans
  • Monoterpenes*
  • Odorants*
  • Oleaceae / chemistry*
  • Smell
  • Stereoisomerism
  • Tea / chemistry*
  • Terpenes / analysis
  • Terpenes / chemistry
  • ortho-Aminobenzoates / analysis

Substances

  • Acyclic Monoterpenes
  • Monoterpenes
  • Tea
  • Terpenes
  • ortho-Aminobenzoates
  • methyl anthranilate
  • linalool