• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2010

Ten commercial activated carbons (ACs) prepared from four different sources (bamboo, wood, peat, and coal) were evaluated for their adsorptive efficiency of six volatile compounds (isoamyl alcohol, hexanal, furfural, ethyl lactate, ethyl octanoate, 2-phenyl ethanol) which were dissolved in a 30% alcoholic model solution. These six volatile compounds are frequently found in alcoholic beverages and possibly contribute to physiological hangover due to their high concentrations. They are also generally regarded as off-flavor compounds at certain levels in alcoholic beverages such as whisky and vodka. Two hundred mL of 30% alcoholic solutions containing these six volatile compounds were treated with 0.2 g of ACs while stirring for 16 hr; the treated solutions were then measured for their adsorptive efficiencies (or removal efficiencies) by gas chromatographic analysis using two different sampling methods (direct liquid injection and headspace-solid phase microextraction). The adsorptive efficiencies of the ACs varied depending on the identity of the volatile compounds and the source material used for making the ACs. Ethyl octanoate, 2-phenyl ethanol, and hexanal were removed at high efficiencies (34-100%), whereas isoamyl alcohol, ethyl lactate, and furfural were removed at low efficiencies (5-13%). AC prepared from bamboo showed a high removal efficiency for isoamyl alcohol, aldehydes (hexanal and furfural), and 2-phenyl ethanol; these major fusel oils have been implicated as congeners responsible for alcohol hangover.