Aroma compounds in food: Analysis, characterization and flavor perception

Abstract

Volatiles in food products are one of the important determinants in food manufacturing. It could reflect the quality of food and the degree of consumer acceptance and choice. The formation of the aroma is dependent on a complex mixture of different types of chemical groups such as aldehydes, acids, esters, terpenes, pyrazines, and furans. These products could be emitted as a result of different impulsive and assisted processes that food could undergo such as cooking, fermentation, contamination, storage, etc. The analysis of these compounds could be challenging due to the complex mixture in the aroma. Four main steps were distinguished in the analysis of these products: isolation, separation, identification and sensory determination. The most widely used methods for the separation of volatiles are solid-phase micro extraction-(SPME) and stir bar sorptive extraction-(SBSE) extractions. The detection of the key volatile in the aroma of food could be achieved by chromatography with an olfactometry detector (GCO), solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE). Mostly, mass spectrometry is used in combination with the GC technique in the separation of volatile compounds. The electronic nose is another option to characterize the aroma in food. The basics of these techniques were delivered along with the sensory impact of volatiles for each functional group.