ANALYSIS OF ODOR-ACTIVE VOLATILES IN CHEDDAR CHEESE HEADSPACE BY MULTIDIMENSIONAL GC/MS SNIFFING

Volatile compounds were isolated from Cheddar cheese headspace by purge and trap extraction, enriched by cryofocusing, and analyzed by multidimensional GC equipped with odor port and by GC/MS. In total, 5 aldehydes, 6 ketones, 8 alcohols, 3 esters, 11 hydrocarbons, 3 halides, and 3 sulfur compounds were positively identified. Ethanol, 2,3-butanedione, and 3-hydroxy-2-butanone were the major components isolated in cheese headspace. The paper describes the aroma characteristics of some of these volatiles and their impact on the overall Cheddar flavor. Esters, aldehydes, methyl ketones, and sulfur compounds had direct impact on Cheddar aroma by virtue of their characteristic aroma. On the other hand, alcohols and hydrocarbons formed the major portion of the GC profile but contributed little to the aroma.