Volatile profile of nuts, key odorants and analytical methods for quantification

Abstract

The presence of nuts in diets has notably increased due to their composition, and the presence of antioxidants and their unsaturated fatty acid profile has led to a considerable increase in their consumption. The volatile profile of nuts is important from different points of view. It affects consumer’s selection, influences raw material selection for the production of composite foods, dictates variety selection in breeding programs, and, from a quality perspective, its changes can indicate food degradation or alteration. A review of the published bibliography concerning the determination of volatiles in nuts has been carried out. The information retrieved has been divided into four main sections. First, a discussion on the main volatiles present in nuts is performed; next, a revision of the methods used to determine the volatiles is presented; and, finally, two sections describing how harvesting conditions, healthy state and the thermal treatment of nuts modifies their volatile profile are added. Analysis of the published bibliography denoted the complexity of volatile determination and the different variables that can modify the compounds present in the volatile fraction of nuts.