Effects of heat treatment and acid-induced gelation on aroma release from flavoured skim milk

Time dependent aroma release was studied in skim milk, heated skim milk as well as in acid-induced gels derived from them using static headspace – gas chromatography analysis. A variable order kinetic model was fitted to experimental data and was used to determine headspace equilibrium concentration and initial rates of release. When compared to water, retention in milk based matrices was increased for hydrophobic aroma compounds, while it was decreased for more hydrophilic volatiles. Acid gelation reduced the initial rate of aroma release by a factor varying from 2.0 to 3.8, depending on the compound. Positive deviation from the first order kinetics was observed and suggests that a concentration gradient is established in the matrix during measurement. The interaction between milk based matrices and aroma compounds is discussed in relation to their chemical structure and the physico-chemical characteristics of the matrices.