Importance of Chirality to Flavor Compounds

Chiral molecules are ubiquitous in nature. Thus, it is not surprising to come across this phenomenon in the world of flavor substances. This book provides an overview on the analytical procedures currently applied to analyze chiral flavor substances at trace levels. It demonstrates several examples for the application of these techniques to determine naturally occurring enantiomeric compositions of chiral key flavor compounds in various natural systems. In addition to the analytical aspects, the contributions focus on the sensory properties of enantiomers and enlarge our knowledge on the correlation between configurations and odor properties and intensities of chiral flavor compounds.

The practical importance of the topic is reflected by a discussion of merits and limitations of chiral analysis for the authenticity control of food flavorings. In addition, examples for the use of enzymes and microorganisms to obtain enantiopure flavor substances and thus to meet legal requirements for "natural" labeling are presented. Finally, the book covers aspects recently getting more and more in the focus of flavor science: What are the physiological mechanisms underlying the perception of sensory properties and does chirality matter in that respect?