Static headspace and Aroma Extract Dilution Analysis of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

The aroma compounds in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese were studied with Aroma Extract Dilution Analysis (AEDA). Both static headspace and solvent extraction, high-vacuum distillation techniques were used to isolate aroma compounds. Thirty-six odor-active compounds had high flavor dilution values. Static headspace gas chromatography/olfactometry (GC/O) analysis found that acetaldehyde, 2-methylpropanal, 2-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanal, ethyl butanoate, and ethyl hexanoate had low detection volumes, while high-vacuum distillation revealed that acetic, butanoic, hexanoic, octanoic, and decanoic acids, and ethyl butanoate, ethyl hexanoate, dimethyl trisulfide, methional, and phenylacetaldehyde had high flavor dilution values. In addition, some pyrazines appear to be important to the aroma of this cheese.