Assessment of aroma quality by holistic analysis methods

The totality of the sensory characteristics (appearance, smell, aroma, taste and mouthfeeling) of food influences the decision to buy fruit and vegetables to a greater or lesser extent. There is a good deal of evidence that the sensory characteristics “taste” and “aroma” have a very specific effect on the consumers’ food choice. Therefore high sensory quality is not only a question of enjoyment value but also an important aspect of healthy nutrition. In the present paper an example of a reliable non-targeted approach for aroma assessment is demonstrated. The developed method is a combination of an effective sample preparation and a non-targeted data processing. It consists of automated headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME), gas chromatography (with FID or MS detector) and data processing by pattern recognition. The analysis approach is used in plant genetics, practical breeding programs as well as tool for quality assessment. The aroma patterns of carrots and apples were determined effectively by this kind of rapid, non-targeted analyses, and used for subsequent genetic and molecular investigations.