CHARACTERIZATION OF TRUFFLE-FLAVOURED OILS COMPARED TO VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCS) OF TUBER MELANOSPORUM TRUFFLES USING SENSORY AND CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS BY HS-SPME/GC-MS

The secret of the great popularity of truffles lies mainly in their volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which produce their characteristic smell. This paper provides an overview of truffles in general as well as of their origin and their physicochemical, nutritional, organoleptic and biological properties. As an example of the volatile compounds in derivatives of the truffle Tuber melanosporum, the results are presented of a comparative study of the VOCs that are released in aromatized commercial oils or those containing macerated truffles. The characterization of the VOCs was carried out by instrumental chemical analysis – headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) – and sensory analysis by a panel of trained professional tasters.