Analysis of Aroma in Frozen Shrimp Using Thermal Desorption-GC/MS

Introduction

The smell of food is an important characteristic related to its taste, aroma, and freshness. The headspace technique, in which the gas released during heating of the sample is analyzed, has typically been used in the aroma analysis of foods. The headspace technique usually relies on heating of the sample to transfer the target substances to the vapor phase. However, in the case of perishable foods, there is always a danger that heating will cause sample degeneration. Although the headspace technique can be conducted using a lower heating temperature, this approach would normally result in reduced sensitivity. An alternate approach when analyzing samples which could be affected by thermal degradation involves concentrating the volatilized gas at or near room temperature using the thermal desorption technique. This Application News introduces an example of analysis of trace quantities of substances volatilized from frozen shrimp at room temperature.

October 22, 2010 GMT