ABSTRACT
Quality control of agricultural crops has traditionally been based on human sensory perception. Although some instrumental methods exist, they are time consuming and expensive, often provide insufficient sensitivity, and generally are impractical for large-scale analyses required in monitoring the quality control of agricultural products. However, with recent technological advances, new efforts have been directed toward applying modern analytical instrumentation to the assessment of sensory quality. Currently, only a rudimentary understanding of the relationship between chemical composition and sensory quality exists. This is primarily the result of the presence of compounds that impact aroma when present at concentrations approaching the parts-per-billion range. Not all of the these compounds have yet been identified. Before automated instrumental methods can be used to routinely access sensory quality, the compounds that contribute to these aromas must be characterized.
