WHAT IS THE TRUE ODOR OF CUT ALLIUM - COMPLEMENTARITY OF VARIOUS HYPHENATED METHODS - GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY WITH PARTICLE-BEAM AND ATMOSPHERIC-PRESSURE IONIZATION INTERFACES IN SULFENIC ACIDS REARRANGEMENT COMPONENTS DISCRIMINATION

Many sulphur volatiles were previously claimed to participate in the A llium odours (thiosulphinates, degradation compounds of sulphenic acid s or thiosulphinates). To determine the true Allium odours we reexamin e garlic (Allium sativum L.), leek (Allium porrum L.) and onion (Alliu m cepa L.) by different methods of isolation (extraction, trapping on adsorbent, cold trapping), transfer techniques (liquid samples, headsp ace SPME) and chromatographic procedures (various HPLC-MS (-MS) system s: thermabeam, electrospray and APCI, SPME-GC-MS and GC-MS). Analysis of Allium odours show only thiopropanal S-oxide, thiosulphinates and r elated compounds (zwiebelanes, cepaenes) in minor quantities and no di sulphides or other rearrangement products.