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Allium Discoloration: Color Compounds Formed during Pinking of Onion and Leek
Roman Kubec1, Petra Urajová1, Ondřej Lacina2
1Department of Applied Chemistry, University of South Bohemia , Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
Abstract:
Structures and formation pathways of compounds responsible for pink discoloration of onion and leek were studied. A procedure was developed for the isolation and purification of the color compounds from various model systems and their identification by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS. In total, structures of 15 major color compounds were tentatively determined. It was found that the pigment is a complex mixture of highly conjugated species composed of two N-substituted 3,4-dimethylpyrrole-derived rings linked by either a methine or a propenylidine bridge. These two-ring units are further modified by various C1- and C3-side chains. Experiments with isotope-labeled thiosulfinates revealed that the methine bridge and C1-side chains originate from the methyl group of methiin, whereas the C3 units are derived from the propenyl group of isoalliin.
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