Fishy and hay-like off flavours of dry spinach

Gas chromatography-olfactometry of headspace samples revealed that (Z)-3-hexenal, methanethiol, (Z)-1,5-octadien-3-one, dimethyl trisulphide, octanal, 2-isopropyl- and 2-sec-butyl 3-methoxypyrazine are potent odorants of raw spinach. Boiling the spinach led to a change, such that dimethyl sulphide. methanethiol, dimethyl trisulphide, methional and 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline became the most important odorants. A further change was observed after drying and storage of raw spinach: methylpropanal, 2- and 3-methylbutanal and propanal were identified as the odorants with higher odour activity values. It was also found that (Z)-1,5-octadien-3-one and methional, in a concentration ratio of about 1 : 100, are responsible for the fishy off-flavour as dry spinach stored at lower temperatures under nitrogen. The hay-like flavour was caused by oxidative degradation of furan fatty acids, yielding 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione.