CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF AROMA AND VOLATILE FLAVOR COMPOUNDS OF SOME FISH, PROCESSED FISH, FISHERY PRODUCTS AND PRAWN OF JAPAN

This research is a part of a research project of identification of volatile flavor compounds of fish, processed fish, fishery products, prawn species of Japan by GC-MS method in a series of laboratory experiments. First part of the research was identification and confirmation of aroma and volatile compounds by GC-MS method and comparison of mass spectrum of each compound with that of Mass spectral data base. The result was confirmed by using authentic compounds following the same method and analytical conditions. Second part (current research) is the identification of chemical structure of the volatile flavor compounds of fish, processed fish, fishery products and prawn species of Japan through computer matching of result (obtained from first part of the research) with the stored data in mass spectral database (NIST, National Institute of Science and Technology). Chemical structure of the aroma compounds and volatile flavor compounds indicate that majority of the components were of low molecular weight (less than 100), some of molecular weight between 100-150 and a few above this figure. Among the components majority were aliphatic hydrocarbons (alkane, alkene, cyclic hydrocarbon), some were carbonyl compounds (aldehyde, ketone), some were alcohols, an organic acid and two were aromatic compounds according to their chemical structure. Each component of these groups were identified and reported previously. Here we are reporting the chemical structure of the components. Chemical structures were obtained by computer matching of GC-MS peak and mass spectrum with the stored data in mass spectral database.