Aging of Flavor in Foods

Part I. Photo-oxygenation of Linalool

Abstract

Photo-oxygenation of linalool was studied to clarify the relation between aging of flavor in foods and photo-oxygenative change of linalool. Linalool was converted to oxygenated derivatives which were cis-2-Vinyl-2-methyl-5-(1'-hydroxy-1'-methylethyl)-tetrahydrofuran(I), trans-2-Vinyl-2-methyl-5-(1'-hydroxy-1'-methylethyl)-tetrahydrofuran(II), 2-Vinyl-2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran-5-on (III), 2, 6, 6-Trimethyl-2-vinyl-5-hydroxy-tetrahydropyran(IV)and(V), 3, 7-Dimethyl-1, 5-octadien-3, 7-diol(VI), 3, 7-Dimethyl-1, 7-Octadien-3-ol-6-on(VII)and 3, 7-Dimethyl-1, 7-octadien-3, 6-diol (VIII).
(I), (II), (IV)and(V) in these compounds have been isolated from several essential oils.
The mechanism of aging of linalool was presumed the resembling to the photo-oxygenation of linalool.