Italian and Spanish commercial tomato sauces for pasta dressing: study of sensory and head-space profiles by Flash Profiling and solid-phase microextraction-gas chomatography-mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: The sensory and head-space profiles of Italian and Spanish commercial tomato sauces were investigated. The Flash Profiling method was used to evaluate sensory characteristics. Samples within each set were ranked according to selected descriptors. One hundred volatile compounds were identified by solid-phase microextraction-gas chomatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: For Italian samples, the sensory notes of basil/aromatic herbs, acid and cooked tomato were among those perceived most by the assessors, whereas, in Spanish samples, the sensory attributes of garlic/onion and onion/sweet pepper and, in Italian samples, cooked tomato were among those found most frequently. Data were elaborated using multivariate statistical approaches and interesting correlations were observed among the different sensory attributes and related volatile compounds. CONCLUSION: Spanish samples were characterized by the highest content of volatiles linked to the thermal treatment of tomatoes and to raw and sautéed garlic and onion, whereas the Italian samples were characterized by terpenic compounds typical of basil and volatile molecules derived from fresh tomato. These results confirm the influence of both formulation and production processes on the aromatic profile (sensory attributes and volatile compounds) of tomato products, which is probably related to the different eating habits and culinary traditions in Italy and Spain. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters in Virgin Olive Oils: In-House Validation of a Revised Method.

The content of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) is one of the quality parameters to define if an olive oil can be classified as extra virgin as these compounds are considered markers for virgin olive oils obtained from poor-quality olives. In addition, FAEEs can also be indirect markers to detect soft deodorization treatment. In this study, an off-line HPLC-GC-FID method for determination of FAEEs is presented, revising the preparative step and the GC injector required by the official method (EU Reg. 61/2011). After optimization, the method was validated in-house by analyzing several parameters (linearity, limit of detection LOD, limit of quantification LOQ, robustness, recovery, precision, and accuracy) to determine its effectiveness. Linearity was measured in the 2.5-50 mg/L range; furthermore, intra-day and inter-day precision values were lower than 15%, while the LOD and LOQ were lower than 1 and 1.5 mg/kg, respectively, for all compounds considered. The main advantages of this revised protocol are: (i) significant reduction in time and solvents needed for each analytical determination; (ii) application of HPLC as an alternative to traditional LC, carried with manually packed glass columns, thus simplifying the separation step.

Sensory and rapid instrumental methods as a combined tool for quality control of cooked ham.

In this preliminary investigation, different commercial categories of Italian cooked pork hams have been characterized using an integrated approach based on both sensory and fast instrumental measurements. For these purposes, Italian products belonging to different categories (cooked ham, "selected" cooked ham and "high quality" cooked ham) were evaluated by sensory descriptive analysis and by the application of rapid tools such as image analysis by an "electronic eye" and texture analyzer. The panel of trained assessors identified and evaluated 10 sensory descriptors able to define the quality of the products. Statistical analysis highlighted that sensory characteristics related to appearance and texture were the most significant in discriminating samples belonged to the highest (high quality cooked hams) and the lowest (cooked hams) quality of the product whereas the selected cooked hams, showed intermediate characteristics. In particular, high quality samples were characterized, above all, by the highest intensity of pink intensity, typical appearance and cohesiveness, and, at the same time, by the lowest intensity of juiciness; standard cooked ham samples showed the lowest intensity of all visual attributes and the highest value of juiciness, whereas the intermediate category (selected cooked ham) was not discriminated from the other. Also physical-rheological parameters measured by electronic eye and texture analyzer were effective in classifying samples. In particular, the PLS model built with data obtained from the electronic eye showed a satisfactory performance in terms of prediction of the pink intensity and presence of fat attributes evaluated during the sensory visual phase. This study can be considered a first application of this combined approach that could represent a suitable and fast method to verify if the meat product purchased by consumer match its description in terms of compliance with the claimed quality.