Characterization of headspace aroma compounds of freshly brewed arabica coffees and studies on a characteristic aroma compound of Ethiopian coffee.

A sampling method to isolate headspace volatiles of freshly brewed drip coffee using a solid-phase microextraction fiber (fiber type: divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane) in a short time (2 min) immediately after extraction has been developed. Volatile compounds and potent odorants obtained from each headspace aroma of various arabica coffee extracts (3 production countries: Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Guatemala; 3 roasting degrees for each country: L26, L23, and L18) using the sampling method were examined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and GC/olfactometry (GC/O, CharmAnalysis). The results of principal component analysis (PCA) using the data of GC/O analysis showed that the aroma profile of Ethiopian coffee was discriminately different from those of Tanzanian coffee and Guatemalan coffee. In addition, it was suggested from the factor loading of the PCA that 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone (raspberry ketone; sweet-fruity odor) characterized the aroma profile of freshly brewed Ethiopian coffee. Therefore, the 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone was quantified in the 9 kinds of coffee extracts. Ethiopian coffee extract of the lightly roasted degree (roasting degree: L26) contained the highest amount of this component, while it was only a little over the reported threshold. In the sensory test, the headspace aromas of Tanzanian and Guatemalan coffees in which 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone was added were, respectively, discriminated from not added samples, and "sweet" odor was selected as an odor description that assessors found similarity between the added Tanzanian or Guatemalan coffee aroma and the Ethiopian coffee aroma. It was suggested that 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone made some detectable change on total aroma profile even though the added amount was only near threshold level.

Analysis of the headspace volatiles of freshly brewed arabica coffee using solid-phase microextraction.

Headspace volatiles of freshly brewed drip coffee were investigated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography/olfactometry (GC/O, CharmAnalysis) analyses. For this purpose, a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sampling method for the headspace volatiles of freshly brewed drip coffee was developed. SPME fiber coated with divinylbenzene (DVB)/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was selected from 6 types, and sampling time was determined at 2 min. The headspace coffee volatiles stayed constant in proportion for the first 2 min to keep the freshness of the brewed coffee aroma. Using this sampling method, the headspace volatiles of freshly brewed drip coffee (Ethiopian arabica coffee, roast degree: L value; 23) were examined by GC/MS and GC/O analyses. From the GC/O results, 1-(3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-yl)-ethanone (nutty-roast odor) and 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone (raspberry ketone, sweet-fruity odor) were newly detected as components in the aroma of coffee.

The early adult transition and friendships: mechanisms of support.

The early adult transition is a neglected but increasingly important stage in the human life cycle. Research indicates that friends are a primary choice of support for young adults faced with developmental tasks such as choice of careers, consolidation of personal identity, and formation of long-term intimate relationships. This study sought to describe and categorize the specific processes by which friends serve to influence the emerging life structures of early adulthood. Five categories were developed from open-ended interviews of 34 young adults ranging from 20 to 28 years of age. These categories describe friends in the roles of models, active agents for change, reactors, interactors, and passive influences. Further specificity is gained through the descriptions of 13 subcategories. Implications of preliminary findings using these categories are discussed.

Enhancement of 5-hydroxytryptamine-induced contraction of the guinea pig ileum by a new sulfur compound, tripropylsulfonium bromide.

In the presence of tripropylsulfonium bromide (TPS) (1 X 10(-4) g/ml), a new compound, the phasic contraction of the isolated guinea pig ileum to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) (5 X 10(-7) g/ml) was consistently enhanced ("TPS effect"). TPS alone increased moderatley the spontaneous movement of the ileum. When the contraction height was calculated as the percentage of that to 5-HT alone, such was observed in the "TPS effect" to be 167.1 +/- 3.6% (mean +/- S.E., n = 80). TPS did not enhance the contraction due to acetylcholine or histamine. The "TPS effect" remained unaffected in the presence of dibenzyline (1 X 10(-7) g/ml), was abolished by morphine(1 X 10(-6) g/ml), tetrodotoxin (2 X 10(-8) g/ml) adenosine (3 X 10(-6) g/ml) and atropine (1 X 10(-7) g/ml) and was not observed under anoxic conditions. Eserine (1 X 10(-8) g/ml) strengthened the "TPS effect" markedly. It is concluded that this effect may be the result of the potentiating effect of TPS on the action of 5-HT through the M receptors, possibly by the facilitation of the acetylcholine-liberation from the nervous tissue.