Methyl Epijasmonate in the Essential Oil of Tea

Abstract

Methyl epijasmonate has a 400 times stronger aroma than methyl jasmonate, which is known to be one of the key compounds in the aroma of tea, and the former is easily isomerized on heating. Reinvestigation of the separation and identification of tea aroma compounds indicated that steam distillation should be performed under reduced pressure, and that the gas chromatographic conditions should be controlled at below 170°C using an open tubular column coated with a non-polar liquid phase to avoid the isomerization or decomposition of methyl epijasmonate. Under the conditions, ten types of teas were analyzed, and methyl epijasmonate was shown to contribute to the aroma of tea, particularly, to that of Chinese semi-fermented teas. © 1988, Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. All rights reserved.