Impact of trehalose, sucrose and/or maltodextrin addition on aroma retention in freeze dried strawberry puree

Summary Trehalose was studied as a drying aid to establish its impact on aroma retention in freeze dried strawberry puree. The evaluation was done by sensory analysis and headspace‐solid phase microextraction‐gas chromatography with a mass detector (HS‐SPME‐GC‐MS); results were compared with those obtained using sucrose and maltodextrin (MD) as drying aids. The carbohydrate used significantly modified the type and concentration of volatiles retained during freeze drying. HS‐SPME‐GC‐MS outcomes showed that the use of trehalose (alone or with MD) resulted in the product with the chromatographic profile most similar to fresh strawberry puree, being different from sucrose and MD. Meanwhile, sensory analysis showed a similarity with the aromatic profiles when using trehalose or sucrose, remaining both different from MD. This study proved that the use of trehalose as a drying aid can be beneficial on volatile aroma retention and that different combinations of organic volatiles can lead to similar sensory profiles.