Analysis of volatile compounds by GC-MS of a dry fermented sausage: chorizo de Pamplona

Abstract

The profile of volatile compounds of a typical Spanish dry fermented sausage, chorizo de Pamplona, has been analyzed by GC-MS, using a simultaneous distillation-extraction (SDE) system. Qualitative and quantitative differences were found in the volatile profiles obtained in the five analyzed commercial brands. One hundred and ninety three different substances were isolated, the group of acids being the most important from a quantitative point of view in all brands, accounting at least for the 60% of the total area. Aldehydes, basically from lipid oxidation, contributed between 7.72% and 13.97% to the total amount. Acids and aldehydes were the chemical families that showed the lowest variability among brands. In contrast, esters showed the highest coefficient of variation among brands (111%), followed by phenols (82%) and terpenes (76%). The variability observed in these three families could be attributed respectively to the different starter cultures, smoking process and spices employed in their production. Butylated hydroxytoluene (added as an antioxidant, E-321) was the third most abundant compound in 3 of the 5 brands.