Patent ID: 7056546

Claim:
A process for stabilizing an aroma-providing component against loss or degradation of desirable flavor or sensory characteristics of its aroma during storage which comprises providing a stabilizing agent of a nucleophile that contains at least one lone pair of electrons for reaction, contacting the stabilizing agent with an aroma-providing component that is isolated, concentrated or separated from a food, beverage, food-forming or beverage-forming material, with the contacting being made in a manner such that the stabilizing agent is provided in an amount effective to chemically interact with undesirable compounds associated with the aroma-providing component to form a stabilized aroma-providing component which: (a) retains a significant portion of one or more of the desirable flavor or sensory characteristics of the aroma in the aroma-providing component during storage, or (b) reduces off flavor generation during storage of the aroma-providing component, and separately storing (i) the stabilized aroma-providing component or (ii) the aroma-providing component in contact with the stabilizing agent, so that the stabilized aroma-providing component is essentially free of the stabilizing agent when removed from storage for preparing a food or beverage product for consumption, and the aroma-providing component imparts to the product an improved or enhanced aroma compared to the aroma provided by an unstabilized aroma-providing component.