Flavour Chemistry Facility
The main focus of the flavour chemistry facility at the Teagasc Food Research Centre in Moorepark is the identification of volatile compounds that impact sensory perception of both foods and beverages. We have our own research program and extensively collaborate with other research groups nationally and internationally, but also provide a technical service to industry.
Background
Many thousands of volatile flavour compounds exist and it estimated that approximately 5-10% present in any food or beverage directly influences sensory perception. As these compounds are chemically diverse it is necessary to have a wide range of techniques in order to obtain representative data. The flavour chemistry facility has state of the art equipment and extensive experience from decades of research used to create databases of volatile compounds in a wide variety of foods and beverages. We also utilize chemometric approaches to look for correlations between volatiles and sensory data. For example, this knowledge can be utilized to identify off-odours, improve product stability, assess the impact of processing or ingredient changes, optimise sensory characteristics, for quality control or for authentication purposes.
Capabilities on Offer
- Aroma profiling
- Identification of odour active compounds
- Identification of taints/off-flavours
- Total fatty acid analysis
- Free fatty acid analysis
Service Details
- Advanced chromatography and mass spectrometry including 2-Dimensional Chromatography
- Volatile Extraction - Thermal Desorption, Solid Phase Micro- Extraction, Solid Phase Micro-Extraction Arrow, InTube-Extraction, High Capacity Sorptive Extraction.
- Olfactometry – Trained Sniffing panels to assess odour
For further information contact: