Aroma and flavour volatiles

Identifying trace-level aroma-active compounds in foods and beverages

What could you be missing - magnifying glass over chromatogramThe volatile compounds present in foods and beverages define the sensory experience, and knowing the exact composition is vital for understanding consumer preferences and maintaining brand loyalty.

Within a particular sample, aroma-active compounds from numerous classes are often present, and these may span a broad range of concentrations.Conventional GC–MS can struggle with this, with a particular difficulty being accurately identifying key compounds at trace levels within complex matrices. Off-odours that negatively impact product perception may also be missed.

Enhancing aroma and flavour analyses with GCxGC–TOF MS

SepSolve’s GCxGC–TOF MS technology, combined with advanced extraction and enrichment by Centri, addresses these challenges, providing precise and actionable insights into aroma and flavour volatiles.

Key benefits include:

  • Cost-effective, unattended analysis via cryogen-free, solvent-free sampling of VOCs and SVOCs in gas, liquid or solid samples using the Centri platform.

  • Unmatched sensitivity, thanks to the combination of the trap-based focusing and enrichment of Centri and the high sensitivity of the BenchTOF2 mass spectrometer. This enables accurate detection and quantitation of trace volatiles, for better understanding of aroma nuances and quality differences between products.

  • Enhanced separation by INSIGHT-Flow GCxGC for deeper insights into aroma composition, enabling more accurate brand comparisons and accelerating the development of new flavourings.

  • Reliable identification thanks to the excellent spectral quality and mass accuracy of BenchTOF2. This capability is further enhanced by the complementary spectra for similar isomers provided by Tandem Ionisation, ensuring confident identification of challenging compounds.

  • Quick chromatogram comparison enabled by ChromCompare+ software, for easy assessment of brand differences and the identification of odour taints

  • Flexible configurations to address your application needs, including the addition of sensory evaluation with GC–O or parallel detection using different techniques, such as FID or SCD.

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