FWIW...
Ethyl maltol,
2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyrone,
2-ethyl pyromeconic acid, or
C7H8O3 is an analog of
maltol, where the methyl group on maltol is substituted with an
ethyl group. It is a stable white crystalline powder at room temperature and easily dissolves in many
polar liquids. Ethyl maltol has a melting point of between 89 and 93 °C, and a boiling point of 161 °C.
This chemical has a sweet odor that can be described as caramalized
sugar and cooked
fruit. It is an important flavourant for the food, beverage, and fragrance industry. Ethyl maltol is non-toxic, highly pleasant to human sense of smell, and easily detected by the human, with as little as 10 parts per million perceivable in air. -Wikipedia
Extracts of the aerial parts of
Passiflora incamata L. contain the beta-carbolines: harman, hamun, hannalin, harmol, and harmalol, along with an aroma compound,
maltol (Soulimani 1997). Beta-carbolines, like those of
Passiflora incamata L., induce voluntary ethanol intake in rats (Baum 1996). Some people may be interested in the fact that harman has been identified in beer, wine (Bosin 1988) and cigarette smoke (Totsuka 1999). Beta-carbolines have been found to prevent neuron damage to the brain mitochondria of dopamine-induced mice by acting as an antioxidant and scavenging hydroxyl radicals (Lee 2000). Harman acts as a vasorelaxant (something that reduces inflammation or edema), it functions by releasing
GABA, serotonin and noradrenaline (Dolzhenko 1987). Harman and related compounds are mutagenic and become more mutagenic after nitrosarion occurs in the acidic conditions of the stomach (Lin 1986).
Maltol, an aromatic compound, has antioxidant properties shown when inhibiting the oxidation of hexanal by 84% (Lee 2000).
Maltol was also shown to be responsible for the development of dialysis-related diseases in patients with renal dysfunction and may play a role in the development of certain neurodegenerative disorders (van Ginkel 1993).
Maltol was shown to be a strong enhancer of aluminum accumulation in rat brain and blood (van Ginkel 1993). Source:
Medical attributes of Passiflora spp. - Passionflowers
I do add Passion flower extract to my nic occasionally (not the store variety, don't waste your money) as a relaxant. Anyway, I see that maltol is also an ingredient in analogs. I wonder if it might actually play some role in the "relaxing side" of analogs. For that matter, in some e-liquids as well. I just notice that some of the best tasting/aromatic liquids are also the most relaxing. I wonder if Tasty Vapor includes it, that stuff is more relaxing (and tastier) than many I've tried.
I am not liking the words neurodegenerative disorders and aluminum accumulation... if it were a word game, my answer would be Alzheimer's. I notice an MSDS for ethyl maltol online indicates it shouldn't be inhaled.
WMZ