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Updated: Mar 8, 2026

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
Published on: July 30, 2017
Key Odorants of Lazur, a Polish Mold-Ripened Cheese
Małgorzata A Majcher1, Kamila Myszka1, Anna Gracka1
1Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition , Poznań University of Life Sciences , Wojska Polskiego 31 , 60-624 Poznań , Poland.
Abstract:
Application of gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) carried out on the volatile fraction isolated by solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) and solid phase microextraction (SPME) from Lazur mold-ripened cheese revealed 17 odor-active compounds. The highest flavor dilution factor (FD) has been obtained for methanethiol (2048) with a burnt odor note and for 2(3)-methylbutanoic acid (2048) with a cheesy, pungent odor. Further quantitation of the 15 most aroma-active compounds allowed for calculation of their odor activity values (OAV). The highest OAVs were obtained for methanethiol (500), 3(2)-methylbutanoic acid (321), 3-(methylthio)propanal (210), 2,3-butanedione (65), dimethyl trisulfide (22), butanoic acid (20), 1-octen-3-ol (18), ( Z)-4-heptenal (14), dimethyl disulfide (14), dimethyl sulfide (13), phenylacetaldehyde (6), 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine (5), and acetic acid (4). An aroma recombination experiment showed slight differences in the perception of cheesy/sweaty and moldy/musty notes. To verify the influence of methyl ketones on the aroma profile of mold-ripened cheese, recombinant has been additionally supplemented with 2-pentanone, 2-heptanone, and 2-nonanone in concentrations determined in Lazur cheese. The aroma profile remained unchanged, which would suggest that methyl ketones, in this particular cheese, do not play a significant role in the formation of aroma.
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