Volatile compounds of rehydrated French beans, bell peppers and leeks. Part 1. Flavour release in the mouth and in three mouth model systems

Abstract

Flavour release from three rehydrated vegetables: French beans, red bell peppers, and leeks, was studied directly in the mouth of 12 assessors (oral vapour) and in three mouth model systems; purge-and-trap, and dynamic headspace with and without mastication. Volatile compounds were analysed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, which resulted in 30, 52 and 42 identified compounds in French beans, bell, peppers, and leeks, respectively. Propanal, 2-methylpropanal, 2- and 3-methylbutanal, pentanal, hexanal, 2-pentenal, trans-2-hexenal, 2-heptenal, 2-butanone, and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one were present in each of them. Flavour release from the three vegetables in model system ‘dynamic headspace and mastication’ did not differ significantly from release in the mouth. Peak areas of volatiles released in the mouth had larger coefficients of variance than the ones released in the model system. Although assessors released volatile compounds with different efficiencies, they showed a statistically consistent efficiency in flavour release across the vegetables.