Maltol is a naturally occurring

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. Th ...

that is used primarily as a flavor enhancer. It is found in the bark of larch tree, in

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

needles, and in roasted

malt Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air. Malted grain is used to make beer, w ...

(from which it gets its name). It is a white crystalline powder that is soluble in hot water, chloroform, and other polar solvents. Because it has the odor of cotton candy and caramel, maltol is used to impart a sweet aroma to fragrances. Maltol's sweetness adds to the odor of freshly baked bread, and is used as a flavor enhancer ( INS number 636) in breads and cakes. Maltol, like related 3-hydroxy-4- pyrones such as kojic acid, binds to hard metal centers such as Fe³⁺, Ga³⁺, Al³⁺, and VO²⁺. Related to this property, maltol has been reported to greatly increase

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

uptake in the body and to increase the oral bioavailability of

gallium Gallium is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Discovered by France, French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1875, Gallium is in boron group, group 13 of the periodic table and is similar to ...

and iron.{{cite journal , author1=D.M. Reffitt , author2=T.J. Burden , author3=P.T. Seed , author4=J. Wood J , author5=R.P. Thompson , author6=J.J. Powell , title = Assessment of iron absorption from ferric trimaltol , journal = Ann. Clin. Biochem. , year = 2000 , volume = 37 , pages = 457–66, doi = 10.1258/0004563001899645 , pmid=10902861 , issue=4 It is known in the European

E number E numbers ("E" stands for "Europe") are codes for substances used as food additives, including those found naturally in many foods such as vitamin C, for use within the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Commonly ...

food additive Food additives are substances added to food to preserve Taste, flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. Some additives have been used for centuries as part of an effort to preserve food, for example vinegar (pickling), sal ...

series as E636.

References

Flavors Food additives Flavor enhancers 4-Pyrones Enols Sweet-smelling chemicals

See also

References