Determination of Volatiles in Ham by Gas Chromatography with Olfactory Detection

The aroma-active compounds of Jinhua ham were analyzed after isolation using simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE) and solid phase microextraction (SPME). In spite of the remarkable similarity between the dry-cured hams, the technological potential of combinations of both has never been explored before. Results show that 2, 6-dimethyl-pyrazine, hexanal, 2-heptanone, ethyl acetate and 2-pentyl-furan made the predominant contribution to the aroma of Jinhua ham. In fact, 28 volatile compounds were extracted using SDE, with cured, toasted, fatty and fried odors playing important roles in the “boiled ham”. At the same time, 29 volatile compounds with cured, sulfurous alliaceous and spicy herbaceous flavor were the main contributors to the ham odor. Furthermore, the contribution of each aroma-active component to the whole ham flavor profile was evaluated by aroma extract dilution analysis. The 2, 6-dimethyl-pyrazine and 3-(methylthio)-propanal was identified as the most intense aroma-active compounds of Jinhua ham due to their high log2 (FD-factor) and characteristic aroma.