ANALYSIS OF ODOR-ACTIVE VOLATILES IN CHEDDAR CHEESE HEADSPACE BY MULTIDIMENSIONAL GC MS SNIFFING/

Volatile compounds were isolated from Cheddar cheese headspace by purg e and trap extraction, enriched by cryofocusing, and analyzed by multi dimensional GC equipped with odor port and by GC/MS. In total, 5 aldeh ydes, 6 ketones, 8 alcohols, 3 esters, 11 hydrocarbons, 3 halides, and 3 sulfur compounds were positively identified. Ethanol, 2,3-butanedio ne, and 3-hydroxy-2-butanone were the major components isolated in che ese headspace. The paper describes the aroma characteristics of some o f these volatiles and their impact on the overall Cheddar flavor. Este rs, aldehydes, methyl ketones, and sulfur compounds had direct impact on Cheddar aroma by virtue of their characteristic aroma. On the other hand, alcohols and hydrocarbons formed the major portion of the GC pr ofile but contributed little to the aroma.