Application of Solid Phase Microextraction in Food Analysis—Flavor and Off-Flavor Sampling

Abstract

The chapter focuses on the use of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in the field of flavor analysis. Due to its robustness, versatility, and sensitivity, SPME is the dominating technique used for the extraction of flavor and volatile compounds in food nowadays. New developments in SPME technologies, including mainly fiber coatings and also cold fiber SPME, sampling in vacuum conditions, are discussed in this chapter. Specificity of food matrix in terms of extraction techniques, and specificity of food volatiles as well as the influence of sample preparation on extraction efficiency are described. The special emphasis is put on the quantitative aspects of SPME in the analysis of food flavors and off-flavors. Different extraction and calibration approaches are demonstrated. SPME is also compared to other extraction methods used in flavor and off-flavor analyses such as simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE), solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE), liquid--liquid extraction, purge and trap, and hydrodistillation. The usefulness of SPME in profiling of volatile compounds profiles is also outlined.