Influence of oxygen concentration on the flavour and chemical stability of cream powder

Descriptive sensory analysis and analysis of hexanal content were performed on cream powder stored in darkness at different oxygen concentrations at 30 degrees C for up to 45 weeks the headspace of the samples contained 209 (nir), 13, 3.6, 0.4 or 0.3 m/L oxygen/L headspace gas All samples stored with reduced oxygen content were, with one exception, significantly different from the air-packed sample after 25 as well as after 45 weeks of storage, both in their he.hexanal concentration and according to sensory analysis However, there were no significant sensory differences between the samples stored with reduced oxygen for 25 or 45 weeks. Analysis of the hexanal concentration in the samples was a more sensitive method than sensory analysis for detecting differences between samples stored for the same length of time. Furthermore, some of the samples with reduced oxygen concentration were found to differ significantly in their hexanal concentration. Significant differences between samples before storage and samples stored for 25 or 45 weeks, regardless of oxygen concentration, were found by both sensory and chemical analyses.