Key odorants in various cheese types as determined by gas chromatography-olfactometry

Cheese odour-active compounds identified by gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) are compiled in nine tables dealing with alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, lactones, furans, nitrogen-containing compounds together with pyrazines and sulphur-containing compounds, terpenes and miscellaneous compounds, and, finally, aromatic compounds and free fatty acids. For each component, the odour descriptors, the cheese variety in which it was evaluated, the concentration (or an indication of the odour intensity), the extraction method, the GC-O type of analysis, and, if available, the perception threshold values are also provided. The sensory properties and metabolic origin of major cheese aroma compounds are discussed in the text, explaining to a certain extent the discrepancies between different authors. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.