NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR THE ANALYSIS OF VOLATILES IN AQUEOUS AND NON-AQUEOUS SYSTEMS

A simple, efficient, external inlet assembly is described for analyzing volatile components in raw and processed foods by direct gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The device comprises three sections: a sample inlet, a condenser, and a six-port rotary valve. The versatility and effectiveness of this assembly is demonstrated by the analysis and identification of volatiles from diverse food products as salad oils, vinegar, and corn-soy food blends. The procedure is rapid, efficient, and offers the following desirable features: it is compatible with all commonly used chromatographs and can accomodate samples of different size; sample volatiles are obtained without use of prior enrichment techniques, at ambient or elevated temperatures; uniform heating enhances volatiles elution, thereby improving sensitivity; moisture and air are removed to facilitate mass spectral analysis; the closed nature of the system minimizes loss of low molecular weight volatiles during elution, thus producing a highly reliable pro-file of volatiles. © 1979 American Oil Chemists' Society.