APPLICATION OF HEADSPACE ANALYSIS TO THE STUDY OF AROMA COMPOUNDS-LIPIDS INTERACTIONS

Taking into account interactions between aroma compounds and food comp onents is necessary to better manage the flavoring of food products. T hese interactions occur at a molecular level and reflect changes, at a macroscopic level, in thermodynamic equilibria, such as solubility or volatility. The rate of transfer of an aroma compound from the liquid to the vapor phase can be affected as well. The behavior of aroma com pounds in water and lipid solutions was studied in two complementary ways, a thermodynamic and a kinetic approach (headspace analysis). The transfer rate of volatiles at the liquid-water interface does not onl y depend on the hydrophobicity of the aroma compounds. Vapor-liquid pa rtition and activity coefficients show the presence of solute-solvent interactions. The Gibbs free energy values indicate their physicochemi cal nature.