Characterisation of the volatiles of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) during storage by solid phase microextraction and GC–MS and their relationship to fish quality parameters

Summary Investigations were carried out to extract the volatile compounds of fish using solid phase microextraction (SPME) in order to develop a new rapid indicator for determining the quality of fish. Changes in the aroma composition of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) was studied at 30 °C and in ice, using SPME GC–MS, and their relationship with the fish quality parameters – total volatile basic nitrogen and sensory analysis – was determined using principal component analysis (PCA) and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Hexanal (30.9%) and 2-nonanone (28.4%) were recorded in relatively high amounts in fresh fish, whereas 3-methyl-1-butanol and 3-hydroxy-2-butanone increased with storage time. PCA clearly differentiated the volatile profile of each sampling stage (P