An investigation of maple flavor

Abstract

It was desired to isolate and identify the flavor material obtained by hydrolysis and oxidation from Acer saccharum wood. This has been done and the material is shown to be 3-methoxy-hydroxycinnamic aldehyde or coniferyl aldehyde. It has been shown definitely that the flavor is not due to vanillin.

An extraction procedure has been worked out for the best isolation of the material without the losses attendant upon the methods previously given. It has been shown that previous methods of isolation may destroy some of the material by virtue of the alkaline reagents used.

A number of products have been shown to be present in the wood extract and to be extractable from this aqueous wood extract by means of chloroform. Among these are lignin-like materials, gums, a phenol thought to be guaiacol, and malic and probably vanillic acid. Ground-work has been done for further investigation into the materials obtained by hydrolysis of the wood.