Comparison of SDE and SPME for the analysis of volatile compounds in butters

The current study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two extraction techniques, namely simultaneous distillation-extraction (SDE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME), in evaluating key aroma compounds in butters. Volatile compounds' contributions to butter flavors were evaluated employing both odor active values (OAVs) and gas chromatography olfactometry (GC-O). The results showed that the species of volatile compounds detected by the two techniques were almost the same, whereas their volatile profiles were obviously different. Using SDE method, methyl ketones took up the largest proportion of the volatile compounds, followed by fatty acids. Using SPME method, the most abundant compounds were the fatty acids, followed by lactones. More methyl ketones were detected in the SDE extract owing to lipid degradation as a consequence of the high temperature during extraction. Lactones were considered to be the key aroma compounds, especially δ-decalactone, which was identified by both OAVs and GC-O.