Volatile composition of vinegars. Simultaneous distillation-extraction and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis

Volatile composition of different wine vinegars was investigated by GC-MS. Major volatile compounds were analyzed by direct injection of the sample into the gas chromatograph. The minor volatile components were fractionated by using the simultaneous distillation extraction technique (SDE) before their GC analysis. In both cases, previous neutralization of the sample was not required. Different types of vinegars resulting from conventional acetic fermentation processes as well as vinegars obtained by using the solera system (traditional Spanish process of the Jerez de la Frontera region) were analyzed.