Odor-active compounds of Tahitian vanilla flavor

Gas Chromatography-Olfactometry was performed on Tahitian vanilla extracts in order to highlight its flavor specificity. The results stressed that Tahitian vanilla flavor was very rich. 61 odorant zones were identified, 38 of them were attributed to an odor-active component. Among them, anisaldehyde and guaiacol were found to be the key flavor compounds of Tahitian vanilla. They were representative of the predominant spicy-anise and phenolic odor families. Moreover, three cultivars of Tahitian vanilla were characterized thanks to their GC-O profile, highlighting the diversity existing among Tahitian vanilla flavor, and providing prospects for valorizing them as well. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.