Method and apparatus for measuring volatiles released from food products

摘要

The invention provides a method and apparatus for efficiently measuring and analyzing volatile and relatively non-volatile flavor components released during oral processing of food or other products. The subject exhales a breath sample into one or more temperature-controlled collection chambers, preferably at predetermined time intervals during the oral processing of the product. Each breath sample is then purged from its collection chamber with a non-reactive gas flow into an adsorbent, absorbent or other trap containing an interface that separates and collects the volatile and relatively non-volatile components from the breath sample. The trap is then transferred to a thermal desorber to release the volatile and relatively non-volatile flavor components from the interface surface into a measuring and analysis apparatus.