Volatile organic compounds and their generation in sourdough
Estonian University of Life Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Chair of Food Science and Technology, Kreutzwaldi 56/5, EE 51006 Tartu, Estonia
*Correspondence: liis.lutter@emu.ee
Abstract:
Sourdough technology is involved in bread making process for improving the sensory, rheological, nutritional and shelf life characteristics of bakery products. More than 540 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other flavour precursors belonging to the chemical classes, such as aldehydes, ketones, esters, acids, alcohols, terpenes and others, have been identified in sourdoughs and sourdough breads. The synthesis of VOCs is microbial species-specific, originating mainly from fermentation process. VOCs can be used as indicators to characterize microbial processes. Other additional sources of VOCs in sourdoughs are lipid oxidation and browning reactions, the latter of which occurs during the production of dried starter cultures. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the composition of VOCs and their effect on the sensory properties of sourdough bread, and to describe the most common extraction methods of VOCs used in the studies of sourdough and bread aroma profile. Long-term propagated sourdough VOCs have been less studied compared to volatiles found in bread crust and crumb or sourdoughs started with defined starter culture(s) due to their complexity and diversity in metabolic pathways, including sophistication of the analytical methodology of VOCs. The relation between sourdough microbiota and its volatile profile is not fully understood and therefore, their variability and precise role as a bread flavour enhancer is not yet known in detail.
Key words:
lipid oxidation, proteolysis, sourdough fermentation, volatile profile