II-PYRIDINE COMPOUNDS IN FOOD FLAVORS, TOBACCO, AND ESSENTIAL OILS
1. Occurrences
Since the discovery of the 3-methylpyridine in coffee by RADTKE in 1964 (87), many pyridine derivatives have been found in a great variety of food systems among other heterocyclic compounds. They are present in traces in the following food flavors (see Table 1): fish, meat (beef, chicken, lamb), vegetables (artichoke, dry red beans, leeks, beetroots, asparagus, potatoes, tomatoes), cereals (rice, corn, barley), bread, nut products (almonds, filberts, peanuts, pecan, soya bean), milk and dairy products (cheese), fruits, spices and condiments (pepper, Trassi) nonalcoholic beverages (cocoa, coffee, tea), alcoholic beverages (beer, rum, whiskey), tobacco and essential oils (jasmine).
A detailed list of pyridine compounds identified from the above foods is reported in Table 2.
