It would be hard to think of a single pyrazine, or any other “roasted” note for that matter, which is more useful than trimethyl pyrazine (FEMA# 3244, CAS# 14667-55-1). In general, mono-, di-, tri- and tertra-substituted pyrazines exhibit some level of family odor resemblances within each structural category.
Within the tri-substituted pyrazine category, trimethyl pyrazine is by far the most widely used and probably the most cost-effective. The roasted character seems most obviously compatible with cocoa, but the use of this raw material extends to virtually all “cooked” flavors.
It is often used in conjunction with other pyrazines, the precise balance varying considerably with the flavor profile. The dose rates given throughout this article are the levels suggested for use in flavors that are intended to be dosed at 0.05% in a ready-to-drink beverage or in a simple bouillon.
