Relationship between the Volatile Components and the Aromatic Quality of Roasted Sesame Seed Oils.

We classified the volatile components of roasted sesame seed oils into three groups, namely, the nitrogenous components (NC), the sulfur components (SC), and the triacylglycerol decomposition products released upon heating (TDP), by head space sampler gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (HSS-GC-MS) analysis, and the results of sensory evaluation were compared with the composition of the three volatile component groups described above in various roasted sesame seed oils. The results revealed that there was a positive correlation between the amount of SC, and negative correlation between the amounts of TDP as determined by HSS-GC-MS analysis, and the aromatic quality of the oils. Furthermore, we analyzed the volatile component composition of three roasted sesame seed oil products obtained commercially at supermarkets in Japan for one year. There were no significant differences in the amounts of NC, SC, and TDP among the three commercial products. Our study suggests that the analysis of volatile components by HSS-GC-MS is highly effective and convenient for the quality control of roasted sesame seed oils.