Solid-Phase Microextraction Combined with Gas Chromatography-Olfactometry for Analysis of Cheese Aroma

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) has been shown to be a simple and effective tool for detecting trace levels of flavor compounds in foods and beverages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the application of SPME combined with gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) for the analysis of odorants in Cheddar cheeses. The cheese volatile compounds were extracted by immersing the fiber coating in the sample headspace. Effect of exposure time, influence of absorption temperature (below and above cheese melting point), and fiber coating were investigated. SPME-GCO aroma profiles obtained with several coatings were distinctly different. A total of 45 odor active compounds were detected, the largest odor spectrum being obtained with PDMS-DVB (38 odors) and CAR-PDMS (35 odors).