Application of Solid Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography/Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry for Rapid Analysis of Flavor Volatiles in Tomato and Strawberry Fruits

Abstract

Solid phase microextraction (SPME), a relatively new sampling technique, was examined as a means to investigate volatile compounds produced by tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) fruit. SPME had sufficient sorptive capacity to permit detection of aroma compounds having a variety of functional groups. The advantages of using SPME were its simplicity, absence of solvent, and speed. Fiber cleaning, sample collection, and desorption required ∼6 min. The total analysis time was ∼10 min per sample when SPME was combined with rapid gas chromatographic (GC) separation and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS). The major volatile compounds detected from tomato and strawberry and their relative abundance were comparable with published results from purge-and-trap/GC/FID analyses. One of the primary flavor impact compounds in strawberry, 2,5-dimethyl-4-methoxy-3(2H)-furanone was detected by using SPME/GC/TOFMS. SPME appears to be suitable for rapid and quantitative analysis of volatile aroma compounds in tomato and strawberry fruit. Keywords: Lycopersicon esculentum; Fragaria × ananassa; headspace; aroma; chromatography; time-of-flight mass spectrometry