Identification of Dimethyl Trisulfide as a Major Aroma Component of Cooked Brassicaceous Vegetables

SUMMARY Aroma, retention time and infra‐red spectra of volatile components from four vegetable varieties of Cruciferae Brassica oleracea were examined. Components were separated by gas‐liquid chromatography and characterized by differential chromatograms from a dual‐detector system. Dimethyl trisulfide was identified as a major aroma component in cooked Brassicaceous vegetables. A mechanism for dimethyl trisulfide formation from precursors known to be present in cabbage is proposed. No evidence was found to indicate that new sulfur compounds develop as cooking time increases. It is proposed that the strong unpleasant aroma which is characteristic of overcooked Brassicaceous vegetables is due to the gradual loss of pleasant volatile components and resultant “unmasking” of the unpleasant sulfur components.