The flowery smell of health and wellbeing - Identification and quantification of odor-active compounds in chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.)

洋甘菊(Matricaria洋甘菊L.)是传统医学中最受欢迎的草药之一。在过去的几年里，不同的药理和生理作用被阐明，包括抗氧化、抗菌、抗抑郁和抗炎活性。尽管洋甘菊具有如此重要的地位，并以其特有的气味而闻名，但作为其挥发性有机化合物的一部分，其气味活性物质尚未得到全面的研究。因此，很可能仍有物质等待他们的发现。我们确实有迹象表明，高度气味有效的贡献者可能被埋在洋甘菊挥发性部分中的大量物质之下，因为其中含有丰富的成分，主要是倍半萜及其衍生物。其中一些具有芳香活性的化合物可能远远低于常用分析工具的检测极限。因此，本课题旨在对洋甘菊的气味活性物质进行鉴定、定量和重组实验。这将通过应用全面的香气研究工具来实现，使用人类感官评估和气味分析方法相结合。特别是，将使用溶剂辅助风味挥发等提取和分离技术、气相色谱与质谱仪/嗅觉分析相结合的色谱技术(一维和二维)、特定目标物质的制备性浓缩以及适当的量化程序，例如稳定的同位素稀释分析和其他分析技术。在进行重组实验时，将充分表征构成洋甘菊整体香气的香气物质。这些结果将支持未来研究人员对洋甘菊成分的药理、生理或其他生物学效应的研究。

Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) is one of the most popular herbal remedies used in traditional medicine. Over the past years, different pharmacological and physiological effects have been elucidated, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidepressant and anti-inflammatory activity. Although being of such importance and being renowned for its characteristic smell, the odor-active substances of chamomile, as part of its volatile organic compounds, have not been comprehensively studied. As a consequence, it is likely that there are substances still awaiting their discovery. We have indeed indications that highly odor-potent contributors might be buried underneath a wealth of substances within the volatile fraction of chamomile, since there is an abundance of constituents, mainly sesquiterpenes and their derivatives. Some of these aroma-active compounds may be well below the limit of detection of common analytical tools. Accordingly, we aim to characterize the odor-active substances of chamomile in this project, including identification, quantification and recombination experiments. This will be achieved by applying comprehensive aroma research tools using human sensory evaluation in combination with odorant-analytical methods. In particular, extraction and isolation techniques like solvent-assisted flavor evaporation, chromatographic techniques like gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry/olfactometry (one- and two-dimensional), preparative enrichment of specific target substances, and adequate quantification procedures e.g. stable isotope dilution assays along with other analytical techniques will be used. Carrying out recombination experiments, the aroma substances contributing to the overall aroma of chamomile will be fully characterized. These results will support researchers dealing with future investigations on the pharmacological, physiological or other biological effects of chamomile constituents.