Aroma characteristics of spontaneously fermented Ghanaian maize dough for kenkey.

Aroma compounds associated with traditional Ghanaian maize dough for kenkey production prepared by spontaneous fermentation were investigated using the Likens-Nickerson extraction method and GC-MS analysis. Compounds contributing to the characteristic aroma of the dough were identified by 'GC-sniffing' with a panel of four judges. A total of 76 compounds were identified in the fermented dough by GC-MS. The compounds included 21 carbonyls, 19 alcohols, 17 esters, 12 acids, a furan, 2 phenolic compounds, an alkene and 4 unidentified compounds. The GC-sniffing technique showed 46 compounds as contributing to the aroma of fermented maize dough. Five odour descriptions could not be identified with corresponding peaks while two odours were described for regions that showed no detectable peaks. The Likens-Nickerson extraction method was effective for identification of volatile compounds developed during spontaneous fermentation of the Ghanaian maize dough.