Measurement of transport phenomena of volatile compounds: A review

Measurement of the transport phenomena of volatile compounds is a central preoccupation in food flavour and is the subject of the present paper. After a theoretical reminder concerning transport phenomena, the methods used for the measurement of diffusion and mass transfer of volatile compounds are described with their principles, main advantages and drawbacks. These methods are illustrated by some results obtained for flavoured model food products.Several methods characterized by the type of diffusion coefficient measured, the method basis, the scale at which diffusion is measured and the means used to detect the diffusing molecule, are available to determine diffusion coefficients.To study the impact of the different factors influencing aroma release, kinetic parameters extracted from release curves obtained by sampling and analysis of the gas phase can be measured and compared. The coherence between experimental conditions and mathematical models used to estimate the parameters is of major importance.