A simple approach to the dynamic headspace analysis of volatile flavours using a gas chromatograph/photoionization mass spectrometer

Dynamic headspace analysis was performed on several samples of foodstuffs in a special gas chromatographic injection system which is normally used for Curie-point pyrolysis analysis. Photoionization was used in the gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric instrument as a reproducible low-energy ionization method. Mass spectral accumulation of the data yields fingerprints of the samples which are amenable to computer-assisted statistical data analysis.