Headspace solid-phase microextraction of higher fatty acid ethyl esters in white rum aroma

Fatty acid ethyl esters are the main components of rum aroma and play an important sensorial impact in these distilled alcoholic beverages. Herein, a method for analysing these volatile compounds is described. It involves a separation and concentration step using headspace solid-phase microextraction and determination by capillary gas chromatography using flame ionisation detection. The influence of different parameters related to the isolation and concentration step, such as ethanol concentration, ionic strength, sample volume, time and temperature of extraction, was studied. The developed method enabled recoveries >91% for the analyzed compounds with limits of detection between 0.007 and 0.027 mg/l, all of them lower than the range of concentrations found in rum samples. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of fatty acid ethyl esters in different commercial white rums.