Aroma compounds in the production of liquid beet sugar

Samples of in-process liquid beet sugar were collected from three different parts of a beet sugar factory and a refinery. The samples were analyzed wi th respect to aroma compounds by means of both liquid-liquid extraction and gas-phase (headspace) extraction followed by gas chromatography-olfactomet ry (GC-O) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The aromas of the eluted compou nds were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively for the different sampl es. In general, earthy and sour aromas were often present in the raw juice sample, whereas caramel aromas were mainly present in the samples taken fur ther downstream in the process. For fruity, floral, and solvent-like aromas , different parallel trends were noted. Some aromas were present only at th e beginning of the process, whereas others developed toward the end of the process.