The volatile profile of pasteurized leek (Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum) and Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera) (products), as a witness to (bio)chemical reactivity, influenced by pretreatment and successive refrigerated storage

Processing can affect (bio)chemical conversions in vegetables and can act on their volatile properties accordingly. In this study, the integrated effect of pretreatment and pasteurization on the volatile profile of leek and Brussels sprouts and the change of this profile upon refrigerated storage were investigated. Pretreatments were specifically selected to steer biochemical reactivities to different extents. Volatile profiles were analyzed by headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. For both vegetables, it was observed that different pretreatments prior to a pasteurization step led to diverse volatile profiles. The differences in volatile profiles observed in the different samples were presumably attributed to the different degrees of enzymatic conversions, further conversions of enzymatically formed products and thermally induced reactivities. Interestingly, the observed initial relative differences between volatile profiles of differently pretreated pasteurized samples were still observed after a refrigerated storage of 4 weeks at 4 degrees C. In conclusion, refrigerated storage only limitedly affected the resulting volatile profile.

Automated summary

Processing can affect the (bio)chemical conversions and volatile properties of vegetables. This study investigated the combined effect of pretreatment and pasteurization on the volatile profile of leek and Brussels sprouts, as well as the changes during refrigerated storage. Different pretreatments led to diverse volatile profiles, attributed to enzymatic conversions, further conversions of enzymatically formed products, and thermal reactivities. Surprisingly, the initial relative differences in volatile profiles between differently pretreated samples were still observed after 4 weeks of refrigerated storage. Overall, refrigerated storage had limited impact on the volatile profile.