Dynamic evolution of volatile organic compounds in infant formula during storage: Insights from gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry

Abstract

The flavor profile of infant formula (IF) determines its overall acceptability and palatability, significantly impacting its desirability for infants, while the presence of off-flavors challenges the feeding experience and IF quality, even may lead to the rejection by infants. In this study, the dynamic changes in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during 12 weeks of IF storage at 4 °C–60 °C were monitored by Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) for capturing the fingerprints of VOCs. The GC-IMS revealed that a total of 44 VOCs, including acids, alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones, and furans. The alternative principal component analysis (PCA) and Sankey diagram in this study offered a comprehensive tracing of the dynamic changes in VOCs, providing valuable implications for the optimization of IF quality control, assessment for validity period and origin tracking in the food industrial.