Effect of fat content on flavour release from sausages

The influence of fat content (5%, 10% and 15%) of sausage on the release of 10 volatile compounds with different physicochemical properties (log P and log ρL ranged between 1.01 and 4.23, and −0.66 and 1.69, respectively) was studied under static headspace (raw and cooked sausages) and in-mouth conditions (cooked sausages). Increasing fat content caused a general increase in the volatile compound concentrations of the sausages (fat acted as a reservoir) but a decrease in the compound concentration in the headspace and in the nosespace. The opposite effect was found for 3-methylbutanal and ethyl-2-methylbutanoate, which are more polar (low values for log P) and volatile (large values for log ρL) than the other compounds. Static headspace data revealed that the effect of fat content was larger in the raw samples than in the cooked sausages. The time to reach the maximum response for the compounds in the nosespace during mastication was not affected by fat content.