Influence of high hydrostatic pressure treatment on cassava flour's volatile retention performance†

In this study, cassava flour structurally modified through high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) was assessed for its headspace volatile profile, when prepared as an aqueous suspension. The headspace profile was used to indirectly evaluate its retention capacity for added mango volatiles. Moreover, the influence of the level of structural modification—dictated by the HHP treatment intensity and mainly characterized by different degrees of gelatinization (54% and 100%)—on the retention stability during storage was also assessed through a chemometrics approach. The new amorphous starch structures in the flour caused by the pressure induced gelatinization led to an 8–13% higher total volatile abundance in the headspace compared to control or untreated cassava flour. A lower headspace abundance of alcohols and a higher abundance of terpenes in HHP-treated flours distinguished them from control samples. This correlated with a 17–20% greater retention of alcohols and a 3–7% reduced retention of terpenes in the HHP treated flour's suspension matrix. During storage, HHP-treated flours exhibited greater retention stability for most volatile compounds compared to control flour. Despite the level of structural modification, defined by a remarkable difference in the degree of gelatinization, results revealed minimal variance in their headspace composition and volatile retention during storage. Nonetheless, the results suggest that careful selection of volatiles is necessary when combining them with HHP-modified cassava flours, as certain volatile classes exhibited higher retention.