Influence of the food matrix structure on the retention of aroma compounds.

The retention of the aroma compounds in a multicomponent medium like the food matrix is influenced by their affinity with the protein when lipid is present at a low level (0.5%). The effect of the structure of the media is also studied by using two media with the same composition; one was emusified, and the other was not. Among the studied aroma compounds, 2-nonanone and isoamyl acetate present opposite behaviors: the volatility of isoamyl acetate is not affected by the change of the medium structure whereas that of 2-nonanone increases. The decrease of retention of 2-nonanone in an emulsified system would be due to a modification of the fixation site for this compound on the protein or to a competition between the lipid and the aroma compound while the protein is adsorbed at the lipid-water interface.