The effects of high hydrostatic pressure on strawberry flavour compounds and the enzyme P-glucosidase were investigated. Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa, cv. Elsanta) samples were submitted to high pressure ranging from 200 to 800 MPa. After the high pressure treatment, the samples were kept for 24 h at three different storage temperatures (4, 20 and 30 degrees C) and, thereafter, the flavour was extracted by simultaneous steam distillation-solvent extraction using dichloromethane. Analysis was carried out by GC-MS and HPLC. The analytes of this study are three acids (namely butanoic acid, 2-methyl-butanoic acid and hexanoic acid), one ketone (2,4,6-heptatrione) and three furanones (5-hexyl-dihydro-3N-furan-2-one, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-2H-furan-3-one and 2, 5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-2H-furan-3-one-glucoside). The highest flavour stability was observed when samples were treated with lower pressures and they were stored at 4 and 30 degrees C. The enzyme beta-glucosidase was found to be activated when pressures of 200 and 400 MPa were applied but inactivated considerably in the 600 and 800 MPa treatments. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
