Para-hydroxy phenyl butanone is a material mainly used by the flavorist and only infrequently by the perfumer—and to most in the industry not recognized by its chemical name. The organoleptic impression of this chemical is so specific (somewhat like vanillin’s relationship to vanilla), that most of us refer to this material by its functionally derived name raspberry ketone. Thus shall it be referred to throughout this review.
Raspberry ketone falls into a group of mainly crystalline aroma chemicals which hide their potency when one smells them neat from the bottle. Only on dilution does the power and persistence of raspberry ketone become apparent. In aqueous media its low volubility results in the water giving the ketone a lift organolepticdly In organic media, mainly fragrances, raspbery ketone is somewhat subdued and becomes more a part of the d~-out effect.
As the name indicates, the organoleptic impression of raspberry ketone is that of the main body notes of raspberries, though it finds use in related fruit flavor compositions such as strawberries, kiwi, cherry and other berry flavors as a touch additive and in other berry fruit flavors.
