Comparison of volatiles in raw and boiled potatoes using a mild extraction technique combined with GC odour profiling and GC–MS

Aromas of raw and boiled potatoes were compared using a mild extraction technique, ensuring preservation of the very labile composition of potato aroma during analysis. The extracts were evaluated by GC–MS and GC-sniffing using a panel of four judges. A total of 29 compounds were identified by GC–MS in raw potatoes and 25 in boiled. Twenty compounds were found in both raw and boiled potatoes, but most often in very different concentrations. During GC-sniffing, 33 odours were detected in boiled, and 27 in raw potatoes. Eight odours corresponded to compounds identified by GC–MS. Another four odours could be tentatively identified. It is concluded that the change in aroma during boiling of potatoes depends on compounds from lipid oxidation as well as compounds from other types of reactions, for instance the Strecker-degradation.