Effect of starch and amylopectin concentrations on volatile flavour release from aqueous model food systems

The influence of starch and amylopectin (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5% w/v) in aqueous model food systems was evaluated for 20 volatile flavour compounds. To understand the influence of the gelling agents on the thermodynamic and kinetic component of volatile flavour release, the release of six alcohols, five ketones, four esters, three aldehydes, one sulphur compound and one terpene was determined under equilibrium conditions and mouth conditions. For equilibrium analysis, the air/product partition coefficients of the compounds were determined by equilibrium headspace gas chromatography. Under mouth conditions, the flavour released in a model mouth system was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Both gelling agents and their concentration affected the release of the volatile compounds significantly, resulting in a distortion of the flavour composition. Under equilibrium conditions, starch showed greater flavour retention than amylopectin. Under mouth conditions the opposite was observed; amylopectin affected flavour release more than starch. Both functional group and chain length of the flavour compounds influenced the effect of the gelling agent. Since the effects of the gelling agents differed under mouth and equilibrium conditions, it is conceivable that the kinetic component of flavour release is of greater importance for the effect of these gelling agents on volatile flavour release than the thermodynamic component.