Determination of volatile compounds in white brine cheese and ultrafiltered cheese during ripening and shelf-life using nano-adsorbent fibers

J Food Sci Technol. 2024 Mar;61(3):573-584. doi: 10.1007/s13197-023-05865-2. Epub 2023 Oct 19.

Abstract

In this study, determination of aromatic compounds in cheese samples was performed by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) using a new adsorbent as a novel coated fiber in combination with a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry or flame ionization detector to evaluate the changes during ripening. Brine and ultrafiltrated (UF) cheese were sampled via HS-SPME and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Polysulfone and mesoporous carbon nitride were used as two types of fibers for coating. The results showed that the pH had significant decreased during the 120 days for brine cheese (p < 0.001), and during the 90 days (p < 0.001) for UF cheese. Acidity was relatively stable during the ripening period for both cheeses (p > 0.05). Protein content decreased during the ripening period for both cheeses (p < 0.001). Moisture content also significantly decreased during the ripening period for both cheeses (p < 0.001). 74 compounds were identified in brine cheese and 27 major components in UF cheese. Fatty acids were the predominant components, followed by aldehydes (n: 17, 22.9%), alcohol (n; 12, 16.2%), ester (n: 11, 14.8%), alkane (n: 7, 9.4%), and ketone (n: 6, 8.1%) for white brine cheese, while for UF cheese fatty acid (n: 12, 44.4%) and aldehyde (n: 5, 18.5%), alcohol (n: 3, 11.1%), ketone (n: 3, 11.1%), ester (n: 2, 7.4%) and alkane (n: 1, 3.7%).

Keywords: Cheese; Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry; Mesoporous carbon nitride; Polysulfone; Volatile compounds.