Establishment of the contribution of volatile compounds to the aroma of fermented sausages at different stages of processing and storage

The generation of aroma compounds through the curing process of dry fermented sausages was studied. The most important aroma compounds were determined using their odour-activity values (OAVs). The compound quantification in the headspace (HS) was carried out by solid phase microextraction (SPME) and the total concentration in the sausage by multiple headspace SPME (multiple HS-SPME) using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The main compounds that contributed to the aroma of dry fermented sausages were those with the highest oil OAVs such as 3-methyl butanal, 2-methyl butanal, octanal, diacetyl and ethyl 2-methyl butanoate that were important from the beginning of the process. Other compounds were important contributors as they were generated at the end of process, including propanal, pentanal, hexanal, ethyl 3-methyl butanoate, 1-octen-3-ol, 3-methyl butanoic acid, 2-methyl propanoic acid, ethyl hexanoate and nonanal. However, the aroma perceived in the HS was due to compounds with the highest air OAVs such as 3-methyl butanoic acid, ethyl 2-methyl butanoate, nonanal and octanal. In many cases, the percentage of the aroma compound released to the HS was around 10–20% of the total concentration in the sausage.