ALLIUM CHEMISTRY - IDENTIFICATION OF ORGANOSULFUR COMPOUNDS IN RAMP (ALLIUM-TRICOCCUM) HOMOGENATES

Supercritical fluid (SF) extracts of homogenized ramp (Allium tricoccu m Ait.) were separated and characterized with liquid chromatography co upled with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometric identification. The profiles of SF extracts of aqueous homogenates of ramp bulbs from three different seasons and growing regions revealed that the thiosulfinates were major components. In addition, some of th e cepaenes (alpha-sulfinyldisulfides) found in extracts of onion juice , as well as allyl containing cepaenes (2-propenyl 1-(2-propenylsulfin yl)propyl disulfide), are present in the ramp extracts. The amount of allicin in ramp bulb homogenates ranged from approximately 10% to 50% of that found in extracts of aqueous garlic homogenates. The greater a mount of the methyl l-propenyl thiosulfinates in the ramp extracts rel ative to that found in the garlic extracts correlates with the flavor characteristics of ramp bulbs. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ ts reserved.