CHARACTERIZATION OF THE COMPONENTS OF A SALTY SMOKE FLAVORING PREPARATION

A solid smoke flavouring preparation had a heterogeneous appearance an d microscopy revealed transparent crystalline particles, vegetable mat ter, irregular brown particles and dark brown globular particles. A qu antity of globular particles was separated from a fraction of the tota l sample. Fourier Transform infrared spectra of the total sample and o f the globular particles, as well as of their residues and extracts in dichloromethane were studied. The insoluble fraction of the flavourin g preparation in dichloromethane was again extracted with distilled wa ter and infra-red spectra of its residue and extract were also studied . It was inferred that, in addition to compounds responsible for the f lavour, vegetable matter, NaCl, fatty acids and fatty esters and a car rier (presumably made of saccharides) were used in the manufacture of this flavouring preparation. Globular particles of the flavouring prep aration were composed of fatty acids and fatty esters, carrier and fla vour compounds. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and gas chromatog raphy with flame ionization detection techniques were used to study th e soluble fraction (in dichloromethane) of the flavouring preparation. Phenol derivatives were the main components responsible for the smoke flavour. In addition to the flavouring compounds arising from wood py rolysis, flavouring compounds derived from plants were also found. Fat ty acids and fatty esters, detected by infra-red spectroscopy were sho wn to be the main components of the soluble fraction. Copyright (C) 19 96 Elsevier Science Ltd