A New Analytical Method to Volatile Compounds in Cider Apples: Application to Evaluate the Starch Index

Headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled to Fast gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detector and with quadrupole mass spectrometric detector was employed to study the volatile compounds in Asturian cider apples. The best conditions used for volatile analysis of apple were: sample equilibration at 25 °C for 60 min, followed by polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene fiber exposure to the headspace above the sample for 5 min, and finally thermal desorption of the adsorbed substances in the injector port for GC analysis. The use of Fast gas chromatography allowed the separation of 24 compounds in less than 8 min, reducing the analysis time in 80% compared with conventional gas chromatography. The aromatic profile of 26 crushed apple samples included in Designation of Origin Cider from Asturias was analyzed. The chemometric technique named multiple linear regression allowed us to establish a relationship between apple volatile compounds and the starch index. The results obtained are consistent with the known apple ripening model.