Comparison of determination method for volatile compounds in Thai soy sauce

Dynamic headspace (DHS) sampling, direct solvent extraction (DSE) and vacuum simultaneous steam distillation–solvent extraction (V–SDE) were used for sample preparation in volatile compound analysis in Thai soy sauce. The extracts obtained from two brands were then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). A comparative study of volatile compounds obtained from these preparation techniques was performed. Some similarities were observed among different characteristic volatile profiles obtained from each preparation technique. Highly volatile compounds were detected only by DHS whereas DSE and V–SDE gave a wide spectrum of chemical classes of compounds detected. Moreover, differences of volatile compounds detected from both soy sauces were noted. This might be due to the differences of production process employed and strains of microorganism used.