Occurrence of 4‐methoxy‐2‐methyl‐2‐butanethiol in blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) berries

Abstract

Abstract4‐Methoxy‐2‐methyl‐2‐butanethiol is a powerful sulfur‐containing aroma compound identified several decades ago in blackcurrant buds (Ribes nigrum L.). However, an unambiguous identification in blackcurrant fruits has been lacking. In this study the occurrence of 4‐methoxy‐2‐methyl‐2‐butanethiol in blackcurrant berries has been demonstrated for the first time by the analysis of seven cultivars. After isolation of the volatiles by vacuum‐headspace‐extraction, the sulfur‐containing compound was enriched on mercurated agarose gel. Identification was performed via capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Quantitation was performed in the single ion monitoring mode using 4‐methyl‐4‐sulfanylpentan‐2‐one as internal standard. The concentration of 4‐methoxy‐2‐methyl‐2‐butanethiol in Andega (4.5 µg/kg) was significantly higher than those in the other cultivars investigated in this study (from 0.16 to 0.72 µg/kg). Calculation of the odour activity values indicated that this sulfur‐containing volatile contributes to the aroma of blackcurrant berries. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.