Hey, so i stumbled upon an interesting bit of esterification today.

 

After lunch (tandoori chicken wrap) i had a polomint at my desk and got back to work. After a few minutes as the mintyness was starting to disappear, BAM. banana flavour! out of nowhere!

 

As some, or most of you will know, there are a few esters that taste just like banana and are used in banana flavouring. There is a high chance this is what happened. I'm just guessing but I think the ester formed was 3-methyl-1-butyl ethanoate otherwise known as isoamyl acetate. this is a common banana flavouring and the result on my tounge tasted very banana-y

 

while the guy who runs the QC labs at my work is pretty cool, he wasn't up for analysing my spit to see exactly which ester was forming on my tounge so no luck there. it would have been interesting to know.

 

Anybody know of any other impromptu in mouth esterification reactions that could produce a good (and tasty) result?

 

I can't guarantee that this will work with any tandoori chicken. this probably counts double considering that there is a special level reserved in hell for my companies new catering company. The cafeteria staff are excellent and they do the best with what they're given though. always good chat too.

Thats pretty interesting actually, I've personally never experienced anything like that. It would be interesting to know if there is a transesterification going on...especially as the conditions in the mouth are not exactly optimal for a transesterication reaction. Transesterication is catalysed by acidic conditions; however, the mouth is normally basic (to counteract bacterial activities in the mouth). But that doesn't mean it won't occur though.

 

If this is indeed what is occuring, then there would need to be a source of isoamyl alcohol in the mouth to take the place of the original alcohol of the ester.

well, i think both would have to have come from the foods and sweets because the tandoori chicken did not cause it on its own and the polo didn't cause it on its own. only in combination.

 

it may not have been isoamyl acetate but another banana tasting ester. I only mentioned isoamyl acetate as i have tasted it and it tasted the same. I don't think it is out of the realms of possibility that it was something else entirely.

It is also possible that combining the two may just have activated those taste receptors that you associate with banana flavouring

It is also possible that combining the two may just have activated those taste receptors that you associate with banana flavouring

 

there was also a slight smell of banana

Well taste and smell are closely related if I'm not mistaken? Maybe when you tasted simething similar to banana you thought you smelt it as well. Although, I can't say that nothing happened and something actually happened to create a banana-smelling-tasting molecule!