the library

Rooibos

Sweet & rich· tea coffee cacao

What it is

Rooibos is a South African plant, Aspalathus linearis, whose needle-like leaves are fermented and dried to make a tisane unrelated to Camellia sinensis, the tea plant.

What it tastes like

On the nose: bitter, fruity, citrus; the house adds honeyed ✳. Among its measured molecules: methylheptadienone, (Z)-2-Heptenal, 1-octen-3-one, trans-2-decenal, (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal.

25 of 130 compounds on file carry a paper the library can cite.

• octanalaromaaldehydereads as fruity (PubChem)Measured in 40 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1264 vs. RIlit 1289) — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4)
• hexanalaromaaldehydereads as sharp, aldehyde (PubChem)Measured in 87 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified by GC-MS/retention-index matching (RIcal 1060 vs. RIlit 1083) in a green-rooibos-extract iced-tea powder reconstituted in water before storage; no peak-area/concentration value given — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4 'Volatile compounds tentatively identified... for M3 reconstituted in water, before storage')
• linaloolaromaalcoholreads as spicy, citrus taste (PubChem)Measured in 91 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1526 vs. RIlit 1547); text notes linalool is among terpenes/aldehydes likely to decrease on storage via oxidation on contact with air — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4; Results text)
• 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-onearomaketonereads as fruity taste (PubChem)Measured in 16 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1316 vs. RIlit 1338); text: '...the other ketones, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (12) and 6-methyl-3,5-heptadien-2-one (20), all major compounds in rooibos infusions and in the current samples, increased' on storage — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4; Results text)
• 1-octen-3-olaromaalcoholMeasured in 38 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1428 vs. RIlit 1450) — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4)
• 2-amylfuranaromafuranMeasured in 24 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1202 vs. RIlit 1231) — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4)
• limonenearomaterpenoidreads as lemon (PubChem)Measured in 92 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1161 vs. RIlit 1213) — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4)
• myrcenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 68 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1129 vs. RIlit 1161); text notes beta-myrcene decreased on storage, consistent with oxidation of 'electron-rich volatile compounds, such as terpenes and aldehydes' — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4)
• 1-octen-3-onearomaacidMeasured in 7 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1278 vs. RIlit 1300); text: 'The ketone, 1-octen-3-one (10)... decreased' on storage; described as one of the major compounds in rooibos infusions — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4; Results text)
• isoorientintasteflavonoidreads as bitter, astringentMeasured in 1 of 341 ingredients.cite

  Green rooibos: 1.068 g/100g dried infusion (0.0114 mg/mL). Fermented rooibos: 1.205 g/100g (0.0097 mg/mL) — Simpson et al. 2013, Molecules (Table 2, row 'Iso-orientin')
• (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 9 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1566 vs. RIlit 1584); named in the abstract among compounds associated with 'green-like' aromas that decrease with storage — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4; Abstract)
• geranylacetonearomaketoneMeasured in 9 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1835 vs. RIlit 1859) — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4)
• vitexintasteflavonoidreads as bitter, astringentMeasured in 1 of 341 ingredients.cite

  Green rooibos: 0.173 g/100g dried infusion (0.0018 mg/mL). Fermented rooibos: 0.217 g/100g (0.0017 mg/mL) — Simpson et al. 2013, Molecules (Table 2)
• rutintasteflavonoidreads as bitter, astringentMeasured in 3 of 341 ingredients.cite

  Green rooibos: 0.404 g/100g dried infusion (0.0043 mg/mL). Fermented rooibos: 0.064 g/100g (0.0005 mg/mL) — Simpson et al. 2013, Molecules (Table 2)
• 2-HexenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 33 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1196 vs. RIlit 1213); named in the abstract among the compounds associated with 'green-like' aromas that decrease with storage — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4, row '2-hexenal'; Abstract)
• hyperosidetasteflavonoidreads as bitter, astringentMeasured in 1 of 341 ingredients.cite

  Green rooibos: 0.217 g/100g dried infusion (0.0023 mg/mL). Fermented rooibos: 0.13 g/100g (0.0010 mg/mL) — Simpson et al. 2013, Molecules (Table 2)
• orientintasteflavonoidreads as bitter, astringentMeasured in 1 of 341 ingredients.cite

  Green rooibos: 0.86 g/100g dried infusion (0.0092 mg/mL). Fermented rooibos: 1.206 g/100g (0.0097 mg/mL) -- one of only two measured compounds that INCREASES with fermentation — Simpson et al. 2013, Molecules (Table 2)
• 2-OctenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 26 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1408 vs. RIlit 1429); named in the abstract among compounds associated with 'green-like' aromas that decrease with storage — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4; Abstract)
• 2-NonenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 22 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1515 vs. RIlit 1534); named in the abstract among compounds associated with 'green-like' aromas that decrease with storage — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4; Abstract)
• trans-2-decenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 8 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1623 vs. RIlit 1644); named in the abstract among compounds associated with 'green-like' aromas that decrease with storage — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4; Abstract)
• (Z)-2-HeptenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 4 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1302 vs. RIlit 1322); abstract names it among compounds associated with 'green-like' aromas that decrease with storage — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4)
• β-damascenonearomaterpenoidMeasured in 13 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1800 vs. RIlit 1823); text: 'the enone, (E)-beta-damascenone (25)... decreased' on storage — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4; Results text)
• methylheptadienonearomaketoneMeasured in 2 of 341 ingredients.cite

  identified (RIcal 1577 vs. RIlit 1602); named alongside 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one as 'all major compounds in rooibos infusions' that increased with storage — Human et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 4; Results text)
• aspalathintastephenolreads as bitter, astringentMeasured in 1 of 341 ingredients.cite

  Green rooibos: 10.019 g/100g dried infusion (0.1067 mg/mL infusion). Fermented rooibos: 0.383 g/100g (0.0031 mg/mL) -- by far the most abundant polyphenol measured, and the compound whose loss during fermentation the paper highlights — Simpson et al. 2013, Molecules (Table 2 'Polyphenolic composition of green and fermented rooibos infusions')
• nothofagintasteflavonoidreads as bitter, astringentMeasured in 1 of 341 ingredients.cite

  Green rooibos: 1.731 g/100g dried infusion (0.0184 mg/mL). Fermented rooibos: 0.151 g/100g (0.0012 mg/mL) — Simpson et al. 2013, Molecules (Table 2)