Real time breath and headspace analysis of flavour volatiles

An overview is presented of the principle, scope and major applications to date of the use of atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometry (APCI-MS) for monitoring the kinetics of release of flavour volatiles in real time, principally from breath during eating. The technique is rapid, quantitative, sensitive to the ppb level and can be used to monitor the vast majority of flavour volatiles. Advances made during the last 5 years in our understanding of factors affecting flavour release, particularly when conducted simultaneously with sensory evaluation, are contributing increasingly to more efficient product development in the food and flavour industry and to the design of flavour systems with desired dynamic flavour characteristics. Real time APCI-MS headspace data may be used to validate mathematical modelling of flavour release. It is proposed that these advances may be applied with similar benefits in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in the improvement of the flavour acceptability of orally administered drugs.