Comparison of dynamic headspace methods used for the analysis of the volatile composition of Spanish PDO ewe's raw milk cheeses

Different dynamic headspace (DHS) methods used for determination of volatile compounds in cheeses were compared. Three different laboratories using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry carried out the analyses of volatile compounds of Spanish Protected Designation of Origin ewe's raw milk cheeses. One laboratory used purge and trap (P&T) with thermal desorption of the trap by ultrafast microwave heating (MWH) and the other two laboratories used P&T with thermal desorption of the trap by resistive heating ( RH). Each method detected around 78 - 85 different individual compounds which belonged to different chemical groups, namely, acids, alcohols, ketones, esters, aldehydes, sulphur compounds, hydrocarbons and terpenes. Using the P&T-MHW method, larger percentages of acids and aldehydes in the cheeses were found compared with the P&T-RH methods, whereas the contrary occurred for the percentages of alcohols and ketones. Differences in the percentages of some volatile compounds such as ketones, alcohols and acids between the laboratories using P&T-RH under different analytical conditions were also recorded. The results pointed out differences in the selectivity for the extraction of various volatile compounds from cheese samples according to the DHS methods used, particularly when using tenax or graphitised carbon as trap absorbents. In spite of these differences, both P&T-MWH and P&T-RH methods were equally satisfactory for the comparison of the different cheese varieties. However, each of the DHS methods was more suitable for the characterisation of the volatile compounds of a particular cheese type.