Analysis of the volatile profile and identification of odour-active compounds in Bayonne ham

The aim of this work was to reliably identify odour-active compounds in dry-cured ham using powerful analysis methods for the volatile fraction. For this purpose, dynamic headspace gas chromatography combined with eight-way olfactometry using a panel of eight sniffers was used. One- and two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and (or) olfactometry were also used. More than 600 compounds from the volatile fraction of dry-cured ham were identified and their biochemical origins are discussed. They covered a wide diversity of structures and chemical functions. Only 29 of them proved odour-active. Comparison of the results of GC-O analysis with those obtained by orthonasal sniffing of the dry-cured ham helped to gain a better understanding of how these substances contributed to the overall aroma of the product. Thus, "Fruity-Floral", "Green-Vegetable" or "Plastic-Chemical" odours intensively perceived by GC-O have been poorly perceived by orthonasal sniffing. By contrast, "Animal-Meat products" or "Butter-Lactic-Cheesy" odours have been much better perceived by orthonasal sniffing. These results indicate that to understand the interactions between odour-active compounds, experimental doping with carefully selected odour-active compounds will be necessary.