Pyrazines

The pyrazines are a group of chemical compounds . They are derived from pyrazine and belong to the group of diazines .

They are flavorings that are responsible for the characteristic smell of many types of vegetables or that arise when foods are heated ( roasted aromas ). There are many different pyrazines. From the group of alkylpyrazines alone, 70 compounds are known to date. Pyrazines are often responsible for an earthy, roasted odor in food and are likely caused by a Maillard reaction during heating.

Alkylpyrazines

2,3-Dimethylpyrazine, a flavor component of roasted sesame seeds

The basic structure of pyrazine is based on alkylpyrazines and can have different substitution patterns. The alkylpyrazines include naturally occurring, highly potent aromatic substances , some of which have a very low odor threshold . These alkylpyrazines such. E.g .: 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine and 2,3-diethyl-5-methylpyrazine have an earthy odor .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} entry on pyrazine. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on September 29, 2014.
2. ^ Susan M. Fors, Bertil K. Olofsson: Alkylpyrazines, volatiles formed in the Maillard reaction. I. Determination of odor detection thresholds and odor intensity functions by dynamic olfactometry . In: Chemical Senses . 10, 1985, pp. 287-296. doi : 10.1093 / chemse / 10.3.287 .
3. ^ Satoru Mihara, Hideki Masuda: Structure-odor relationships for disubstituted pyrazines . In: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry . 36, No. 6, 1988, pp. 1242-1247. doi : 10.1021 / jf00084a029 .