Analysis of Volatile Compounds from Wheat Flour in the Heating Process

Volatile profiling was carried out during heating through vacuum-assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to better understand the flavor forming mechanism of flour products. Ninety-two volatile compounds were detected and identified, including aldehydes (25), ketones (15), alcohols (9), nitrogen- and sulfur-containing compounds (6), benzene derivatives (15), furans (10), and acids and esters (12). The formation temperature of each volatile was also determined. Results showed that temperature played an important role in the formation and content of volatile compounds. In the low-temperature range (60 °C–100 °C), the flavor composition of flour was mainly composed of C6–C10 volatile aldehydes and alcohols. At temperatures exceeding 100 °C, especially at 120 °C, many long carbon chain aldehydes and alcohols, furans, acids, esters, nitrogen- and sulfur-containing compounds were formed. The formation rate of most identified volatile compounds increased during heating, especially from 90 °C to 130 °C.