Headspace sampling for flavour profiling of foods and beverages

This study demonstrates the performance of HiSorb high-capacity sorptive extraction probes for flavour profiling of two samples – cider and potato snacks (crisps) – contrasting the unflavoured product with those that have had flavourings added. HiSorb is a solvent-free technique utilising a high-capacity sorptive phase to ensure good extraction efficiency and is readily applicable to both headspace and immersive sampling. In conjunction with the Centri® extraction and enrichment platform, HiSorb is fully automatable.

Introduction

Analysis of the volatile organic compound (VOC) content of foodstuffs is an important tool in the food and beverage industry, with applications in research and development, quality control, shelf-life assessment and even detection of food fraud. HiSorb high-capacity sorptive extraction probes offer a highly sensitive, robust and fully automatable flavour profiling solution, and have provided excellent results in gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS)-based analysis of foodstuffs.