Aroma dilution method using GC injector split ratio for volatile compounds extracted by headspace solid phase microextraction

Dilution methods are widely used for the screening of aroma-active compounds in gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O). An aroma dilution method for the samples extracted by headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) was developed using GC injector split ratio. In an aqueous model system containing seven authentic standards, the relationship between logarithmic peak area and logarithmic split ratio showed a high linearity as indicated by the good agreement between calculated and experimental data. This result suggests that the split ratio is a suitable and reliable tool for the successive dilution of volatiles in HS-SPME-GC-O. When this method was applied to yuzu (Citrus junos) tea, linalool (floral/lemon) and decanal (orange/waxy) were identified as the most intense aroma-active compounds.