Production of aroma compounds by enzymatic cooxidation of carotenoids

A process for enzymatic co-oxidation of carotenoids was developed involving the action of xanthine oxidase on an aldehyde or purine to produce free radicals. The kinetics of the oxidation was depending on the free radicals generated, themselves depending on the enzymatic substrate, and on the stucture of the starting carotenoid. This process was very efficient for the production of β-ionone, epoxy-β-ionone and dihydroactinidiolide from β-carotene and it was also possible to cleave the C9-C10 bond of neoxanthin to give precursors of damascenone including grasshopper ketone.