A characteristic structural unit of meaty aromas was proposed for the first time in our previous study on the basis of summarizing the olfactory properties of 29 kinds of sulfur-containing flavors with known FEMA numbers. We herein conclude that organic compounds with such a structural unit, as shown in F-1, should have a basic meat flavor.
Included in this class are 2-methyl-3- furylthiols, α- and β-disulfides, 3-mercapto- 2-butanol, α-mercapto ketones, 1,4-dithianes, and 3-oxo-tetrahydrothiophenes. A series of 1,3-oxathiolanes, which contained the above characteristic structural unit, were synthesized starting with mercaptoethanol and ketones with toluenesulfonic acid as catalysts in our lab. The results of sensory evaluation for these compounds indicated that all of them had a meaty odor.
The compounds with the characteristic structural unit reported in the literature, most of which do not yet possess FEMA numbers, were classified further into six subclasses, as shown in F-2. They all have a basic meat flavor, which proved our presumption.
