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A Savory Odorant in Sweet Potato Shochu: 2-Methyl-3-(Methyldithio)-Furan

  • Published:
Chemosensory Perception

Abstract

Introduction

The purpose of this work is to determine the key odorants (KO) in shochu, a Japanese spirit made from sweet potato, barley, rice, soba, or sugarcane extract fermented with 20% rice koji. Each carbohydrate source produces a mild flavored spirit, but sweet potato produces shochu with a strong savory character.

Methods

The KOs released by sweet potato, barley, rice, and sugarcane shochus were determined using headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME), gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) dilution analysis to determine aroma characteristics, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and authentic standards to determine identity.

Results

The five top KOs found in sweet potato shochu were ethyl octanoate, ethyl cinnamate, 2-methyl-3-furanthiol, β-damascenone, 2-methyl-3-(methyldithio)-furan. The five top KOs in barley, rice, and sugarcane shochus were ethyl octanoate, ethyl hexanoate, isoamyl acetate, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, and ethyl isobutyrate.

Conclusion

The unique savory aroma of sweet potato was found to have higher levels of ethyl cinnamate, 2-methyl-3-furanthiol, and 2-methyl-3-(methyldithio)-furan while the five top KOs in barley-, rice-, and sugarcane-derived shochus were esters common in most alcoholic fermentations.

Implications

There is growing evidence that a small number of odorants determine our perception of food aroma. The first challenge is to determine what these key odorants are and second to determine the rules used by the olfactory system to create odor images. This research identifies candidates for the unique aroma of sweet potato shochu.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau, Tokyo, Japan

    Takahiko Ikenaga

  2. Food Science Department, Cornell University, 114 Tower Rd, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Edward H. Lavin & Terry E. Acree

Authors
  1. Takahiko Ikenaga
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  2. Edward H. Lavin
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  3. Terry E. Acree
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Terry E. Acree.

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Conflict of Interest

Takahiko Ikenaga is supported solely by Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau. Terry Acree is supported by Cornell University and owns 100% of DATU, Inc

Ethical Approval

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008 (5).

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects included in the study.

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Ikenaga, T., Lavin, E.H. & Acree, T.E. A Savory Odorant in Sweet Potato Shochu: 2-Methyl-3-(Methyldithio)-Furan. Chem. Percept. 10, 8–12 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12078-017-9222-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12078-017-9222-x

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