ABSTRACT
Gas chromatography (GC) involves the analysis of volatile organic compounds, that is, materials that exist in the vapor phase, at least at the typical GC operating temperatures between 40 and 300°C. Because aroma compounds must, by their very nature, leave the food matrix and travel through the air to be perceived, they are generally excellent candidates for analysis by GC. Although many of these compounds may be solvent extracted, distilled, or otherwise isolated from the food matrix, it is frequently preferable to take advantage of their volatility and rely instead on techniques of headspace analysis.
