ABSTRACT
I. Introduction ................................................................................................ 182 II. Multivariate analysis approaches for flavor studies ........................... 183
A. MS E-Nose applications based on mass intensity data............... 185 1. Classification of coffee samples by geographic origin.......... 185 2. Understanding and predicting the cause of milk
off-flavor using MVA techniques ............................................. 188 B. Application of chemometrics for understanding the
role of specific chemicals that define characteristic food and beverage flavors ............................................................... 192 1. Determination of the age of sherry wines
by chemometrics.......................................................................... 193 2. Determining chemicals responsible for off-flavor
in club cheese............................................................................... 196 III. Additional tips for maximizing the usefulness of chemometrics ..... 199 Acknowledgments.............................................................................................. 202 References ............................................................................................................ 202
It is no simple task to decipher which chemicals in a complicated chromatogram of dozens or hundreds of chemical peaks, as in the case of coffee samples, are responsible for the flavor characteristics of a sample being studied. As indicated in examples throughout this book, olfactometry, odor-unit calculations, model systems studies, and numerous other techniques have been used by flavor researchers to aid in this process. Another tool is chemometrics. This chapter provides more details on the application of chemometrics/ multivariate analysis (MVA) to flavor research, as well as its application potential as a rapid screening tool for flavor quality-control applications.
