Determination of volatile compounds in turbot (Psetta maxima) during refrigerated storage by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: A procedure based on headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)was developed for the study of the volatile profile characteristics of turbot during refrigerated storage at 4°C for 20 days in order to find possible markers of freshness or spoilage. RESULTS: A total of 61 volatile compounds including aldehydes, ketones, esters, alcohols, alkenes, alkanes, aromatics, amines and others were identified in turbot muscle extracted by the optimised HS-SPME method. The volatile profile characteristics of turbot at different storage periods were specified by principal component analysis (PCA). The concentrations of hexanal, heptanal, (2E,4E)-heptadienal, acetophenone, 2-undecanone and 1-octen-3-ol decreased during storage, whereas benzene acetaldehyde, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, 2-nonanone, acetic acid butyl ester, 3-methyl-1-butanol and trimethylamine increased. CONCLUSION: SPME-GC-MS combined with PCA may be a useful method for monitoring the volatile profile characteristics of turbot during storage, which could be potentially used for freshness evaluation.