Volatile profile differences between spontaneous and cultivated Hyblean pasture

Abstract The Hyblean area is the major dairy producer of southeastern Sicily. This current study was undertaken to investigate the aroma-active compounds in order to detect any differences in the flavor profiles of two Hyblean pasture types of forage: cultivated vs. spontaneous. Forage samples were collected twice, at the beginning (Period I) and at the end (Period II) of April. Odor-Active Compounds (OACs) were extracted from the samples using a steam distillation technique. OACs were then detected and identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry/olfactometry (GC/MS/O) and grouped into 7 chemical classes: alcohol, aldehyde, ester, ketone, pyrazine, sulfur and terpene. The data was subsequently analyzed statistically by applying the Chi-square test, using a significant level of α  = 0.05. Overall, forage samples from spontaneous pasture showed a significant difference higher (P