Flavour and pharmaceutical properties of the volatile sulphur compounds of Wasabi (Wasabia japonica)

Depree, J.A.; Howard, T.M.; Savage, G.P.

Flavour and pharmaceutical properties of the volatile sulphur compounds of Wasabi (Wasabia japonica)

1998

Depree, J.A. | Howard, T.M. | Savage, G.P.

Wasabi, sometimes known as Japanese horseradish (Wasabia japonica Matsum), is a perennial crop much prized for its pungent taste and is used extensively in Japanese cuisine. The rhizome, which contains most of the flavour, is the part most widely used, although both the leaves and petioles contain some of the flavour. This review discusses the mixture of volatile compounds (isothiocyanates) which give wasabi its distinctive flavour, the characteristics of the wasabi myrosinase (which liberates the isothiocyanates from precursor molecules) and the stability of these isothiocyanates in solvents or aqueous solutions. Finally, a number of interesting pharmacological properties (including possible anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory activities) attributed to extracts of wasabi are mentioned.

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