Contribution of volatile compounds to the flavor of cooked asparagus

The contribution of volatile compounds to the flavor of cooked asparagus wa s evaluated with the aid of gas chromatography in combination with five dif ferent detectors - MSD, PND, AED, FID, and the human nose (GCO). The object ives of this study were to estimate the key odor sensations and their contr ibution to the aroma in liquid extracts of cooked asparagus. A totality of 36 odorants were identified by mass spectrometry supported by element speci fic detection. This study especially demonstrates the importance of nitroge n and sulfur compounds for the aroma impression. The inclusion of samples f rom different genotypes should provide information about the variability of aroma compounds in dependence of the genetic background.