SWEET CORN AROMA, CHEMICAL COMPONENTS AND RELATIVE IMPORTANCE IN THE OVERALL FLAVOR RESPONSE

Abstract

ABSTRACTS Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) was the most abundant aroma volatile in cooked sweet corn head‐space, followed by ethanol, acetaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), ethanethiol, methanethiol and another unidentified compound unique to processed corn. Based on sensory monitoring of GC column effluents, DMS was determined as the primary factor in cooked corn aroma along with H 2 S, methanethiol and, to a lesser degree, ethanethiol. Also detected in the effluents, but probably of lesser importance, were acetaldehyde, ethanol, and a “grainy” smelling compound in processed corn. When panelists were asked to score corn of widely varying characteristics for aroma, sweetness, texture and overall flavor, it was found that aroma contributed 15% to the flavor response while sweetness and texture contributed 55% and 30%, respectively.