Study on the release behavior of alcohol flavors during the pyrolysis of polymer-supported composite flavor precursors

Abstract

Polymer-supported flavor precursors offer a promising strategy for achieving stable and controlled release of volatile compounds during thermal processing. In this study, a series of novel composite-type polyacrylate and polymethacrylate-supported flavor precursors were synthesized by grafting two selected flavor moieties from four representative alcohol-based flavor compounds, citronellol, anisyl alcohol, 1-phenylethanol, and methyl cyclopentenolone (MCP), onto polymer backbones via ester bond formation. Hydrophilic oligoethylene glycol (OEG) side chains were incorporated to improve solubility in alcoholic media. The structural integrity and composition of the resulting copolymers were confirmed using NMR, FT-IR, SEC, and UV−Vis analyses. Thermal stability and aroma release behaviors were systematically evaluated under both gradual and rapid pyrolysis conditions using TG-DSC, FBR-SPIMS, and Py-GC-MS. The results demonstrated that polymerization markedly elevated flavor release temperatures and facilitated synchronized release of composite aromas. Among the flavor components, MCP exhibited the most efficient release, whereas benzylic alcohols, including anisyl alcohol and 1-phenylethanol, showed negligible release due to thermal degradation. Additionally, polyacrylates demonstrated superior flavor release compared to polymethacrylate analogs, attributed to the greater thermal stability of the polyacrylate backbone. These findings underscore the potential of polymer-supported composite precursors as robust and tunable platforms for composite flavor release in thermally processed systems.