Volatile compounds produced during ripening of Paínho de Portalegre dry fermented sausage Produção de compostos voláteis do aroma em Paínho de Portalegre ao longo do processo de maturação

Volatile compounds produced during the processing stages of Paínho de Portalegre, a portuguese traditional dry fermented sausage, were extracted and analyzed by a purge and trap gas chromatography flame ionization detector system (PT/GC/FID). A total of fourty five volatile compounds were detected, which included aldehydes (13), ketones (12), alcohols (9), esters (2), volatile fatty acids (3), 1 sulphur compound and 5 unidentified compounds. At the end of the drying/smoking/ripening period (40 days) the major groups of volatiles present in Paínho de Portalegre were ketones and alcohols, which together corresponded to 67% of the total area of the identified volatiles compounds. Aldheydes came after and corresponded to about 21% of the total area of the identified volatiles compounds. Volatile fatty acids and esters were also present in much smaller concentrations. The extension of ripening time for storage periods of 4 and 6 months, caused an intensive reduction on the total of detected volatiles, to about half of the quantities achieved at the end of the processing time (40 days). However, in sample with extended ripening time, some new important flavor compounds were formed (2-methylpropanal and 2-methylbutanal). Volatiles produced from lipids autooxidation processes were few in Paínho de Portalegre dry fermented sausage.