COMPARISON OF VOLATILE FLAVOR COMPOUNDS PRODUCED BY 10 STRAINS OF PENICILLIUM-CAMEMBERTI THOM

Volatile compounds produced by Penicillium camemberti Thom in a milk c ulture medium were identified using gas chromatography coupled with ma ss spectrometry. Volatile compounds were mainly methyl ketones and the ir corresponding secondary alcohols, fatty acids, and the alcohols 3-m ethylbutanol, 2-methylpropanol, 3-octanol, and 1-octen-3-ol. Compariso n of 10 strains of P. camemberti Thom resulted in their being grouped into 6 aromatic strain groups. This grouping seems to be useful for th e selection of strains for cheese making.