Rose flavors have to be the natural home for damascenone, but it is interesting to try both ingredients in combination, using around 20 ppm of β-damascone.
We all have our biases in our choices of flavor ingredients, sometimes rational, sometimes not. I have a strong bias in favor of unsaturated chemicals. They tend to be more characterful and interesting. As with many biases, I also have a feeling that the more double bonds, the merrier. β-Damascone (FEMA# 3243, CAS# 23726-91-2) would seem to be a case in point. Damascenone has one more double bond, so it must be more characterful than β-damascone. Perhaps I am also influenced by the glorious abundance of damascenone in the end products of fermentation?
