Aroma Evaluation of Juniper Berry (Juniperus drupacea L.) Molasses (Pekmez) by Solvent-Assisted Flavour Evaporation

Abstract

Juniper berries (Juniperus drupacea L.) belonging the Cupressacea family are recently gaining interest of both pharmaceutical and food industries due to their unique and dainty aroma. These fruits are generally used in the production of molasses in some regions of Turkey. There are a limited number of studies investigating the volatile compounds of juniper berries, there are no papers on the aroma of molasses made from this fruit. Therefore, the volatile composition of molasses produced from Turkish juniper berries was investigated in this study. The solvent assisted flavour evaporation (SAFE) technique was applied to extract the volatiles and the identification of compounds was carried out by the application of gas chromatography mass spectrometry. A total of 31 aroma compounds from 10 different groups were determined as a result of SAFE extraction in Juniper molasses sample. Alcohols and aldehydes (26%) were the most abundant volatile compounds in terms of variety and quantity, these compounds were followed by acids, terpenes, ketones and lactones, respectively. The highest concentrations were determined for compounds like 2,3- butanediol, furfural, hexanoic acid and (Z)-limonene oxide in the sample.