SPME/GC-MS Characterization of the volatile fraction of an Italian PDO sheep cheese to prevalent lypolitic ripening: the case of Fiore Sardo

URGEGHE PIETRO PAOLO; PIGA CARLOS; ADDIS MARGHERITA; DI SALVO RICCARDO; PIREDDA GIOVANNI; SCINTU MARIA FRANCESCA; WOLF IRMA VERONICA; SANNA GAVINO

FOOD ANALYTICAL METHODS

SPRINGER

Año: 2011

1936-9751

Abstract A specifically aimed SPM/GC-MS method has been assessed in order to describe the volatile fraction of intense flavoring cheese like Fiore Sardo PDO, a prevalent lipolytic ripening sheep cheese from Sardinia, Italy. A DVB/CAR/PDMS 50/30 mm fiber and a 3-min exposure time showed to be the best compromise between the possibility to extract compounds with a wide range of polarity and molecular mass and the need to avoid competition and displacement effects among analytes. The volatile compound profile of Fiore Sardo PDO sheep cheese was largely characterized by carboxylic acids (about 68% of the total area of recognized peaks), whereas esters (14%), ketones (9%), and alcohols (8%) represented other abundant clases of low molecular weight species. A number of low-smelling threshold trace compounds were identified as likely contributors of aroma of the Fiore Sardo PDO cheese.