Zingerone

Zingerone is principal organic compound responsible for giving ginger its pungent taste. It is a crystalline solid that is sparingly soluble in water, but soluble in ether. Scientific name for zingerone is 4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-butanone.

It puts the zing in ginger and is also a flavor ingredient in mustard oil. The hydrocarbon tail attached to its vanillin foundation ring doesn't lower the solubility of zingerone much because it contains a carbonyl group (C=O) that can form strong hydrogen bonds with water molecules. Zingerone is sparingly soluble in water, but also freely soluble in fats and oils.

The higher molecular weight of zingerone in combination with the polar side-chain carbonyl group makes zingerone molecules attract each other more strongly than eugenol and vanillin molecules do. As a result, zingerone is less volatile than either eugenol or vanillin. The odor of ginger isn't strong, but the hydrocarbon tail gives it a more intense flavor when it does come into contact with its receptor. Fresh ginger does not contain zingerone; cooking the ginger transforms gingerol, which is present, into zingerone.

Ginger root is a popular folk medicine. Some of the beneficial medicinal qualities claimed for ginger may stem from zingerone's effectiveness as an antioxidant. Zingerone reacts with free radicals that can cause tissue damage and inflammation. Studies by research scientists shows how that a topically applied extract containing zingerone may help prevent some skin cancers.
Zingerone