Synthesis of Diarylheptanoids and Assessment of Their Pungency

Abstract

With the aim of correlating pungency with substituent groups on one benzene ring, various analogues of yakuchinones were synthesized by means of the Claisen-Schmidt reaction. Their pungencies were assessed by direct comparison of the threshold concentrations obtained in taste experiments. The presence of a phenolic hydroxyl group was indispensable for high pungency, while that of a 1, 2-double bond of the heptanone part tended to decrease the pungency.