A newly developed, high-performance dynamic headspace analytical method was used to compare volatile flavour components in 6 types of cheese. A purge and trap system coupled to a gas chromatograph operating with a mass-sensitive detector was used. Cheeses investigated were Parmigiano Reggiano, Fontina, Mahon, Comte, Beaufort and Appenzeller, which are all registered under the label of `appellation d`origine controlee` (AOC). A total of 81 compounds was isolated and identified, 20 were found in all 6 cheeses, and a further 9 compounds were present in 5 of the 6 cheese types studied. Practically all cheeses analysed contained more or less the same constituents, but at varying concn. Thus, flavour of these cheeses seems to depend not on any particular key component, but rather on a `critical balance` or a `weighted concn. ratio` of all components present. This is one of 28 abstracts sourced from the seminar Cheese Ripening held in Lund, Sweden from 7-9 April, 1992, the other abstracts may be traced via the author index under International Dairy Federation (Cheese Ripening Seminar)
