Neutral volatile compounds in the raw milks from different species

A comparative study was carried out on the flavour constituents of bovine, ovine, caprine and water buffalo fresh raw milks. The volatiles were isolated from milks by means of vacuum distillation and liquid–liquid extraction. Eighty neutral volatile compounds were identified using high resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) and HRGC-mass spectrometry. About 30 of these components have not been detected previously in milk. The volatiles in milk were similar for the four species, although several quantitative differences might explain the different odours. The volatiles consisted mainly of ethyl esters, especially those derived from butyric and hexanoic acids. Dimethylsulphone alone comprised ~ 25% of the volatile components in bovine, caprine and ovine milk, but only 4% in buffalo milk. Among the aldehydes, pentanal and nonanal were the most representative. Other aldehydes were present selectively: 3-methylbutanal was found only in buffalo milk; phenylacetaldehyde and benzaldehyde were present in large quantities in caprine milk, and in trace amounts in the other milks. The content of ketones, mainly 2-methylketones, was higher in buffalo milk than in the other three types. Alcohols varied between species, from 1·5% (bovine) to 5% (buffalo). Among these, 1-octen-3-ol and phenylethanol could be particularly important for the aroma of milk. The level of l-octen-3-ol in the milks was: buffalo > ewe > goat ≫ cow. Phenylethanol was not found in ewes' and goats' milk and its concentration in buffalo milk was 100 times higher than in bovine milk. Finally, indole and 4-methylphenol, interesting because of their odorant properties, were present in higher quantities in buffalo, ewes' and goats' milks than in cows' milk.

[1]  Harry E. Nursten,et al.  Progress in flavour research , 1979 .

[2]  Henk Maarse,et al.  Volatile Compounds in Foods and Beverages , 1991 .

[3]  P. M. Leod,et al.  Differences in the Ability of Lactic Streptococci to Form Aldehydes from Certain Amino Acids , 1958 .

[4]  Pieter Walstra,et al.  Dairy chemistry and physics , 1984 .

[5]  J. Kinsella,et al.  Rate of formation of methyl ketones during blue cheese ripening , 1971 .

[6]  P. Schreier,et al.  Identification of volatile constituents from grapes , 1976 .

[7]  E. A. Day,et al.  Heat-Induced Volatile Compounds in Milk , 1968 .

[8]  D. J. Manning,et al.  Chemical analysis of flavour volatiles in heat-treated milks , 1978, Journal of Dairy Research.

[9]  Kinsella Je,et al.  Enzymes of Penicillium roqueforti involved in the biosynthesis of cheese flavor. , 1976 .

[10]  G. L. Holloway,et al.  Recovery of volatile compounds from butter oil , 1967, Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society.

[11]  The presence of damascenone in cultivars of Vitis vinifera (Linneaus), V. rotundifolia (Michaux), and V. labruscana (Baily) , 1981 .

[12]  R. Croteau,et al.  Biogeneration of Aromas , 1986, CHIMIA.

[13]  J. Piggott.  Flavour of distilled beverages : origin and development , 1983 .

[14]  S. Burstein,et al.  Dimethyl Sulfone , 1966, Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.

[15]  D. Forss.  Mechanisms of formation of aroma compounds in milk and milk products , 1979, Journal of Dairy Research.

[16]  H. T. Badins,et al.  Recent advances in the study of aroma compounds of milk and dairy products , 1980 .

[17]  J. A. Elliott,et al.  Production of Ethylesters by Some Lactic Acid and Psychrotrophic Bacteria , 1974 .

[18]  W. Stark,et al.  Volatile compounds in butter oil: II. Flavour and flavour thresholds of lactones, fatty acids, phenols, indole and skatole in deodorized synthetic butter , 1972, Journal of Dairy Research.

[19]  S. Katsumura,et al.  The Synthesis of Damascenone and β‐Damascone and the possible mechanism of their formation from carotenoids , 1973 .

[20]  E. A. Day,et al.  Quantitation, Evaluation, and Effect of Certain Microorganisms on Flavor Components of Blue Cheese , 1966 .

[21]  P. Etiévant,et al.  Aroma components of pomaces and wine from the variety muscat de frontignan , 1983 .

[22]  J. Gripon,et al.  The chemistry of flavour and texture generation in cheese , 1982 .

[23]  R. Buttery,et al.  Characterization of additional volatile components of tomato , 1971 .

[24]  S. Heller,et al.  EPA/NIH mass spectral data base , 1978 .

[25]  A. P. Hansen,et al.  Effects of Ultrahigh Temperature Steam Injection Processing on Composition of Carbonyls in Milk Fat , 1981 .

[26]  V. Rautenstrauch,et al.  Modellreaktionen zur Biosynthese von Verbindungen der Damascon-Reihe und ihre präparative Anwendung† , 1973 .

[27]  A. Gallois,et al.  New results in the volatile odorous compounds of French cheeses , 1990 .

[28]  R. Tressl,et al.  Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric investigation of hop aroma constituents in beer , 1978 .

[29]  M. E. Morgan.  The chemistry of some microbially induced flavor defects in milk and dairy foods , 1976 .

[30]  The flavour of muscat wine: The sensory contribution of some volatile compounds , 1983 .

[31]  T. Pearson,et al.  Natural occurring levels of dimethyl sulfoxide in selected fruits, vegetables, grains, and beverages. , 1981, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[32]  J. Hawke.  Section D. Dairy chemistry. The formation and metabolism of methyl ketones and related compounds , 1966, Journal of Dairy Research.