Identification of Off-Odor Compounds

Edible oils and food products containing edible oils are prone to off-odors due to lipid oxidation. However, most studies focus on the increase of aldehydes and other compounds in oxidized samples without relating the results to the sensory attributes of the sample. In this study, a sensory directed analysis (SDA) method was employed to identify key sensory-active compounds responsible for these off-odors. Off-odors were explored in cooking oil and crackers. In each case, an aged sample was compared to a fresh, positive control sample. The method utilized a variety of sample preparation techniques appropriate to each sample type and gas chromatographic separation paired with simultaneous olfactory and mass spectral detection. The ability to smell individual sensory- active compounds and determine their identity is crucial to developing processes to avoid off-odors and creating the highest quality food products.