Enzymatic modification of palmarosa essential oil: chemical analysis and olfactory evaluation of acylated products.

We have developed an enzymatic protocol to modify the composition of palmarosa essential oil by acylation of its alcohol components by three different acyl donors at various rates. The resulting modified products were characterized by qualitative and quantitative analyses by gas chromatography, and their olfactory properties were evaluated by professional perfumers. We showed that our protocol resulted in two types of modifications of the olfactory properties. The first and most obvious effect observed was the decrease of the alcohol content, with the concomitant increase of the corresponding esters, along with their fruity notes (pear, most notably). The second and less obvious effect was the expression of notes from minor components ((E)-ß-ocimene, linalool, ß-caryophyllene, and farnesene), originally masked by the sweet-floral-rose odor of geraniol, present in 70% in the palmarosa essential oil used, and emergence of citrus, green, spicy and clove characters in the modified products. This methodology might be considered in the future as a sustainable route to new natural ingredients for the perfumer.

Odorous impact of volatile thiols on the aroma of young botrytized sweet wines: identification and quantification of new sulfanyl alcohols.

Specific extraction of volatile thiols using sodium p-hydroxymercuribenzoate revealed the presence of three new sulfanylalcohols in wines made from Botrytis-infected grapes: 3-sulfanylpentan-1-ol (II), 3-sulfanylheptan-1-ol (III), and 2-methyl-3-sulfanylbutan-1-ol (IV). The first two have citrus aromas, whereas the third is reminiscent of raw onion. In addition, 2-methyl-3-sulfanylpentan-1-ol, which has a raw onion odor, was tentatively identified. Like 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol (I), already reported in Sauternes wines, compounds II, III, and IV were absent from must. They were found in wine after alcoholic fermentation, and their concentrations were drastically higher when Botrytis cinerea had developed on the grapes. In the commercial botrytized wines analyzed, the mean levels of II, III, and IV were 209, 51, and 103 ng/L, respectively. Despite their low odor activity values, sensory tests showed additive effects among I, II, and III, thus confirming their olfactory impact on the overall aroma of botrytized wines.

Triterpenoid saponins from the aerial parts of Solidago virgaurea alpestris with inhibiting activity of Candida albicans yeast-hyphal conversion.

As part of research for treatments to combat oral dryness, our evaluation of the activity of an aqueous extract of Solidago virgaurea (L.) ssp. alpestris (Asteraceae) revealed activity against Candida albicans hyphae, the pathogenic form of this yeast. Systematic bioassay-guided fractionation of this extract gave an active saponin-containing fraction from which six oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins were isolated. Three of these were isolated for the first time, as 3-O-(ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)-ß-D-glucopyranosyl)-28-O-(ß-D-fucopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-ß-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-ß-D-xylopyranosyl)-polygalacic acid (virgaureasaponin 4), 3-O-(ß-D-glucopyranosyl)-28-O-(ß-D-fucopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-ß-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-ß-D-xylopyranosyl)-polygalacic acid (virgaureasaponin 5) and 3-O-(ß-D-glucopyranosyl)-28-O-(α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-ß-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[5-O-acetylapiofuranosyl-(1→3)-[4-O-(3-(3-hydroxy-1-oxobutoxy)-1-oxobutyl)]-ß-D-fucopyranosyl]-polygalacic acid (virgaureasaponin 6). Their structures were established by carrying out 1D and 2D NMR experiments along with HRMS analyses. All of the six saponins were evaluated to ascertain their inhibition of C. albicans yeast-hyphal conversion, and four of them showed significant inhibition.

Discovery of new lactones in sweet cream butter oil.

Sweet cream butter oil was analyzed to identify new volatile compounds that may contribute to its flavor, with an emphasis on lactones. The volatile part of butter oil was obtained by using short-path distillation. As some previously unknown lactones were detected in this first extract, it was fractionated further. The fatty acids were removed, and the extract was fractionated by flash chromatography. Three lactonic fractions possessing a creamy, buttery, and fatty character were investigated in depth by gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS) (EI and CI) and high-resolution GC-time-of-flight MS. Many lactones were identified by their mass fragmentation and by comparison with reference materials synthesized during this work. Six γ-lactones, five δ-lactones, and one ε-lactone were identified for the first time in butter oil, seven of them for the first time in a natural product. The possible contribution of these new lactones to the aroma of butter oil is briefly discussed.

Elucidation of the 1,3-sulfanylalcohol oxidation mechanism: an unusual identification of the disulfide of 3-sulfanylhexanol in sauternes botrytized wines.

A four-step purification method was developed to isolate a citrus odorant detected by gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), which was apparently specific to Sauternes botrytized wines. A fragmentation pattern of the odorant was obtained by multidimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry (MDGC-MS-O). The exact mass measurement was used to determine its elemental formula as C(6)H(12)OS. On the basis of these data, the unusual structure of 3-propyl-1,2-oxathiolane was synthesized and characterized for the first time. This confirmed its identification. Its occurrence in Sauternes wine extracts was demonstrated to result from the thermal oxidative degradation of 3-sulfanylhexanol disulfide (3,3'-disulfanediyldihexan-1-ol) in the GC injector. This disulfide was synthesized and then firmly identified for the first time in Sauternes wine. Although the presence of 3-sulfanylhexanol oxidation products had previously been reported in natural extracts (but not wine), the full oxidation pathway from 3-sulfanylhexanol to 3-propyl-γ-sultine via 3,3'-disulfanediyldihexan-1-ol was clearly established for the first time. Because the disulfide has mainly been detected in Sauternes botrytized wines, this finding suggested a singular reactivity of 3-sulfanylhexanol in botrytized wines, thus opening up a wide range of new opportunities in wine chemistry.