Sensory-guided identification of bitter compounds in Hangbaizhi (Angelica Dahurica).

As a traditional Chinese medicine, Angelica dahurica (Fisch. ex Hoffm.) Benth. et Hook. f. ex Franch. et Sav. cv. Hangbaizhi (Hangbaizhi) is not only used for the curative treatment of diseases such as the common cold and toothache, but also is an important spice that is used to increase the aroma and remove the unpleasant odor in many foods. Hangbaizhi has however, been reported to cause a bitter taste. In this study, the bitter compounds in Hangbaizhi after three common processes (boiling, frying and boiling after frying) were studied. Six bitter compounds (oxypeucedanin hydrate, bergapten, xanthotoxol, imperatorin, isoimpinellin and oxypeucedanin) were identified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-diode array detection (DAD)-electrospray ionization (ESI)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS) and sensory evaluation. The contribution of these bitter compounds was ranked by taste dilution analysis (TDA). Upon the assessment of methods to reduce the bitter flavor, it was found that baijiu (Chinese liquor) pretreatment was more effective than water-pretreatment.