Production of the 4-Thujanol Flavoring Agent in Crystal Form

(E)-(R)-4-Thujanol (also known as trans-4-thujanol or trans-4-sabinene hydrate, as seen in F-1A) is a flavoring substance with a delicious taste of fresh minted thyme. The food industry uses a few essential oils, such as marjoram and thyme, containing a small percentage of 4-thujanol (a mix of cis and trans isomers). However, due to its absence in the catalogues of aromatic suppliers, less than 100 kg of pure and natural 4-thujanol equivalent are traded worldwide every year.¹ This is very small in comparison to other aromatic substances (several tons per year).² Synthetic analogue^a can be supplied with a pricey value of $44.00 per gram for a 90% pure package.^3,4

Therefore, producing pure and natural (E)-(R)-4-thujanol in abundance with a competitive price is likely to boost the use of 4-thujanol.

References

1. SP Bhatia, CS Letizia and AM Api, Fragrance material review on 4-thujanol, Food Chem Toxicol 11(46) 295–296 (2008)
2. GA Burdock. Fenaroli’s Handbook of Flavor Ingredients, sixth edition, FL: CRC Press (2010) pp 15– 61 16
3. P Baeckström, B Koutek, D Šaman and J Vrkocˇ, A convenient synthesis of trans-sabinene hydrate from (-)-3-thujol via a highly selective ene reaction of singlet oxygen, Bioorg Med Chem 3(4) 419–421 (1996)
4. CC Galopin, 2001. A short and efficient synthesis of (±)-trans-sabinene hydrate, Tetrahedron Lett. 33(42) 5589–5591 (2001)

Footnote:

^ahttps://labchem-wako.fujifilm.com/us/product/detail/W01W0235-1187.html

For the full article, please check out the Perfumer & Flavorist+ December 2022 issue.