Flavoring foodstuffs with a thioester

Abstract

Processes for imparting flavors and aromas to consumable materials, for example vegetable flavors to foodstuffs or perique flavors to tobacco, by adding to such materials a small amount of at least one thioester according to the formula: ##STR1## wherein R 1 is alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkaryl, cycloalkyl, or alkenyl and R 2 is alkyl, alkylthioalkyl, aralkyl, alkaryl, or aryl, R 1 containing at least two carbon atoms when R 2 is an alkyl group containing three or four carbon atoms, effective to alter the flavor and/or aroma of such materials, together with compositions containing such thioesters and adapted to alter the flavor and/or aroma of such materials, novel cycloalkyl and alkenyl thiopropionates useful for such purposes, and processes for producing such novel thiopropionates.

What is claimed is:  .[.1. A process for altering the flavor of a foodstuff which comprises adding thereto a small flavor-altering amount of at least one thioester having the formula: ##STR8## wherein R is alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkaryl, cycloalkyl or alkenyl and R 2  is alkylthioalkyl, aralkyl, alkaryl or aryl, R 1  containing at least two carbon atoms when R 2  is phenyl or an alkyl group containing 
     
        three to four carbon atoms..]. .[.2.  A process according to claim 1 wherein R 1  contains from one to ten carbon atoms..]. .[.3. A process according to claim 1 wherein R 2  is alkyl containing from one to ten carbon atoms or an alkylthioalkyl group containing from 2 to 6 carbon atoms or phenyl or phenylmethyl or phenylethyl aralkyl group..]. .[.4. A process according to claim 1 wherein the consumable material contains from about 0.005 to about 40 ppm of thioester..]. .[.5. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein said thioester is ethyl thioacetate..]. .[.6. A process as defined in claim 1 wherein said thioester is allyl thiopropionate..]. .[.7. A process as defined in claim 1 wherein said thioester is propyl thioacetate..]. .[.8. A food flavor-altering composition which contains as an essential ingredient from about 0.1 to 90 percent by weight of the total composition of at least one thioester according to the formula: ##STR9## wherein R 1  is alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkaryl, cycloalkyl or alkenyl and R 2  is alkyl, alkylthioalkyl, aralkyl or alkaryl, R 1  containing at least two carbon atoms when R 2  is phenyl or an alkyl group containing three to four carbon atoms, and another flavoring agent selected from the group consisting of 2-methoxy-3-isobutyl pyrazine, 2-isobutylthiazole, dipropyl disulfide, dialkyl disulfide, propyl propenyl 
     
     
        disulfide and mixtures thereof..]. .Iadd. 9.  A process for augmenting or enhancing the flavor of a foodstuff which comprises adding thereto from about 0.005 ppm up to about 40 ppm of a thioester selected from the group consisting of allylthiobenzoate, propylthiobenzoate, methyl-3-(methylthio) thiopropionate, propylthiopropionate, allylthiopropionate, and cyclopentylthiopropionate. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 10. The process of claim 9 wherein the thioester is allylthiobenzoate. .Iaddend..Iadd. 11. The process of claim 9 wherein the thioester is propylthiobenzoate. .Iaddend..Iadd. 12. The process of claim 9 wherein the thioester is methyl-3-(methylthio) thiopropionate. .Iaddend..Iadd. 13. The process of claim 9 wherein the thioester is propylthiopropionate. .Iaddend..Iadd. 14. The process of claim 9 wherein the thioester allylthiopropionate. .Iaddend..Iadd. 15. The process of claim 9 wherein the thioester is cyclopentylthiopropionate. .Iaddend.