Volatile constituents of benzoin gums: Siam and Sumatra, part 2. Study of headspace sampling methods

Static-headspace (S-HS), headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and headspace sorptive extraction (HSSE) have been applied to the analysis of different grades of benzoin gums Siam and Sumatra. This study led to the identification of 58 compounds by GC-RI and GC-MS: 42 of them were characterized in Siam benzoin gum (grades 3 and 5) and 40 of them in Sumatra (grades B and D). SPME using divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane fiber and HSSE are complementary in these conditions and seem to be the most suitable techniques to identify volatile compounds of benzoin gums. S-HS is less sensitive but represents a good method for the quality control of these gums. For this reason it has been applied directly coupled to mass spectrometry for a rapid differentiation between several benzoin gum qualities. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.