Headspace Gas Sampling/GC Method for the Quantitative Analysis of Volatile Compounds in Cheese

Headspace gas sampling along with a fused silica capillary Carbowax 20 M column was examined for the quantitative analysis of some volatile compounds in cheese. Slurries prepared from natural cheeses were steam‐distilled to isolate and concentrate volatile materials. The GC peak areas increased almost linearly as the solid concentrations in slurries were increased from 10 to 40%. However, a 30% solid slurry was used because the 40% slurry was too viscous to handle and distill. The maximum concentrations of volatile compounds were observed with 5.0 mL distillates collected. The relationships between chromatographic peak areas and added volatile compounds were linear between 0 and 80 ppb. Examination of a Cheddar cheese with different ages indicated that a few volatile compounds consistently increased or decreased in concentration with the age cheese.