Chapter 6: Volatile Taste/Odour Active Compounds and Aroma Generation in Tomato Products

This chapter presents an overview of analytical procedures used to isolate the volatile fraction from fresh and processed tomato. Odour unit and flavour dilution analysis are discussed as efficient methods designed to achieve correlation between analytical results and sensorial perception. Major components of tomato fruits and their biogeneration are described. Fatty acids and amino acids can be considered as the main precursors of active odorant molecules characterizing the typical flavour of fresh tomato fruits. Several compounds are derived from intense enzymatic activities as a consequence of fruit comminution, while others are produced during the tomato ripening process. Thermal treatments used in tomato processing lead to a substantial change in the composition of the volatile fraction. In analytical investigation on the Italian tomato variety ‘Pizzutello’, a total of 28 compounds were identified as odour-active compounds.