Differences in the volatile components and their odor characteristics of green and ripe fruits and dried pericarp of Japanese pepper (Xanthoxylum piperitum DC.).

The essential oils of green and ripe fruits and dried pericarp of Japanese pepper (Xanthoxylum piperitum DC.), which are commonly used in Japanese dishes as spices, were extracted with methanol, followed by adsorption to Porapak Q resin. Their aroma profiles were characterized by a sensory evaluation, and their chemical constituents were investigated by using gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and aroma extract dilution analysis. Geraniol, citronellal, linalool, and methyl cinnamate were perceived to be important to the basic flavor of the three samples of Japanese pepper by GC-sniffing at high flavor dilution (FD) factors. Monoterpene hydrocarbons constituting almost 76% of the essential oil are the major flavor compounds in the green fruit, and the stronger green and pine leaf notes in the green fruit were considered to be imparted mainly by the large amount of d-limonene, beta-phellandrene, and myrcene due to their high FD factors. On the other hand, the oxygenated terpenes including citronellal, geraniol, and geranial are predominant for the potent odorant in the ripe fruit. The marked citrus-like note in the ripe fruit was thought to be due to the amounts of geranial and citronellal, being 20% of the essential oil. In the dried pericarp, the ratio of oxygenated terpenoids was almost equal to that of monoterpene hydrocarbons. These seemed to induce the flavor character of the dried pericarp to be milder than that of the ripe fruit.