CONVERSION OF FERULIC ACID INTO 4-VINYLGUAIACOL, VANILLIN AND VANILLIC ACID IN MODEL SOLUTIONS OF SHOCHU

4-Vinylguaiacol (4-hydroxy-3-methoxystyrene), vanillin (4-hydrolry-3-m ethoxybenzaldehyde), and vanillic acid (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic aci d) were isolated from distilled and stored model solutions of shochu ( MSS) that originally contained only ferulic acid (4-hydroxy-3-methoxyc innamic acid) using a solid-phase extraction technique. These compound s were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection. The amounts of the metabolites converted f rom ferulic acid was affected by pH, alcohol concentration, and temper ature of during storage. The identities of the metabolites were tentat ively determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results of this experiment suggested that vanillin was formed via 4-vi nylguaiacol from ferulic acid, and was then converted to vanillic acid . The pathway of the decarboxylation of ferulic acid appeared to be on e of the chemical transformation.