Method optimization for analysis of the volatile fraction of ewe cheese bysolid-phase microextraction

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a simple, fast, economic and solvent- free sample preparation technique that has, among other applications, been used to measure the volatile flavor profiles of foods and beverages. The objective of our study was to optimize the application of SPME-GC for a nalysis of volatile compounds in ewe cheeses. The volatile compounds in che ese were extracted by immersing the fiber coating in the sample headspace. The effects of fiber coating, exposure time, and sample and headspace volum es were investigated. The optimized methodology was suitable for studying t he profiles of volatile compounds in ewe cheese during ripening. The advant ages and limitations of SPME in the analysis of volatile compounds in chees e are discussed.