Quantitation of odor-active compounds in rye flour and rye sourdough using stable isotope dilution assays

Application of the aroma extract dilution analysis on a flavor distillate prepared from freshly ground rye flour (type 1150) revealed 1-octen-3-one (mushroom-like), methional (cooked potato), and (E)-2-nonenal (fatty, green) with the highest flavor dilution (FD) factors among the 26 odor-active volatiles identified. Quantitative measurements performed by stable isotope dilution assays and a comparison to the odor thresholds of selected odorants in starch suggested methional, (E)-2-nonenal, and hexanal as contributors to the flour aroma, because their concentrations exceeded their odor thresholds by factors > 100. Application of the same approach on a rye sourdough prepared from the same batch of flour revealed 3-methylbutanal, vanillin, 3-methylbutanoic acid, methional, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, 2,3-butanedione, and acetic acid as important odorants; their concentrations exceeded their odor thresholds in water and starch by factors > 100. A comparison of the concentrations of 20 odorants in rye flour and the sourdough made therefrom indicated that flour, besides the fermentation process, is an important source of aroma compounds in dough. However, 3-methylbutanol, acetic acid, and 2,3-butanedione were much increased during fermentation, whereas (E,E)-2,4-decadienal and 2-methylbutanal were decreased. Similar results were obtained for five different flours and sourdoughs, respectively, although the amounts of some odorants in the flour and the sourdough differed significantly within batches.