Maltol is a naturally occurring

organic compound Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...

that is used primarily as a

flavor enhancer A flavoring (or flavouring), also known as flavor (or flavour) or flavorant, is a food additive that is used to improve the taste or smell of food. It changes the perceptual impression of food as determined primarily by the chemoreceptors of t ...

. It is found in nature in the bark of

larch Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high la ...

trees and in the needles of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

trees, and is produced during the roasting of

malt Malt is any cereal grain that has been made to germinate by soaking in water and then stopped from germinating further by drying with hot air, a process known as "malting". Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, malted milk, malt vinegar, ...

(from which it gets its name) and in the baking of bread. It has the odor of caramel and is used to impart a pleasant aroma to foods and fragrances. It is used as a flavor enhancer, is designated in the U.S. as INS number 636, and is known in the European

E number E numbers, short for Europe numbers, are codes for substances used as food additives, including those found naturally in many foods, such as vitamin C, for use within the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Commonly ...

food additive Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. Some additives, such as vinegar ( pickling), salt ( salting), smoke ( smoking) and sugar ( crystallization), have been used f ...

series as E636.

Chemistry

Maltol is a white crystalline powder that is soluble in hot water and other polar solvents. Like related 3-hydroxy-4- pyrones such as kojic acid, it binds to hard metal centers such as Fe³⁺, Ga³⁺, Al³⁺, and VO²⁺. Related to this property, maltol has been reported to greatly increase

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

uptake in the body and to increase the oral bioavailability of

gallium Gallium is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Discovered by the French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1875, elemental gallium is a soft, silvery metal at standard temperature and pressure. ...

and iron. Maltol's strong metal binding affinity (good iron chelator), high bioavailability, and low toxicity profile make it an excellent scaffold for designing novel compounds for therapeutic applications.{{cite journal , author1=E. Cini , author2=G. Crisponi , author3=A. Fantasia , author4=R. Cappai , author5=S. Siciliano , author6=G. Di Florio , author7=V.M. Nurchi , author8=M.Corsini, title = Multipurpose Iron-Chelating Ligands Inspired by Bioavailable Molecules , journal = Biomolecules, year = 2024 , volume = 14 , pages = 92, doi = 10.3390/biom14010092, doi-access=free , pmc=10813012

References

Flavors Food additives Flavor enhancers 4-Pyrones Enols Sweet-smelling chemicals

Chemistry

See also

References