ABSTRACT
Taste, odor (aroma), and texture cause an overall
sensation that is defined by the word ‘‘flavor.’’
Compounds interacting with the taste receptors pro-
vide only the sensations sour, sweet, bitter, salty, and
‘‘umami.’’ Aroma compounds (odorants), however,
stimulate much more qualities and therefore are mainly
responsible for the characteristic flavors of foods. The odor is caused by volatile compounds that are
detected by the receptor sites of the smell organ. The
odorants reach the receptors when drawn in through
the nose (nasal perception) and via the throat after
being released by chewing (retronasal perception). The
odor is an important factor that strongly affects the
acceptance of a food product by the consumer. For
this reason, the analysis of odorants is the basis for the
development of measures to improve food aroma
quality. Analysis of food aromas comprises the identification
of the volatiles contributing to the flavor. Furthermore,
methods that allow an accurate quantification of the
odorants are necessary to decide whether a volatile
compound surpasses its odor threshold concentration in
the food because this a prerequisite that it might belong
to the aroma impact compounds. Quantitative data
allow the preparation of a synthetic mixture of the
odorants. A comparison of its aroma with that of the
original indicates whether the analysis was successful.
Precise quantitative methods are also needed to study