Effect of heating time on volatile composition of canned pork meat

Volatiles from samples of ground pork meat, subject to 10, 20, 30 and 40 min heating at 121°C, were isolated by trapping on Tenax GC and Porapak Q. Essences were compared on wall-coated open-tubular glass capillary columns and analysed by glass capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Low molecular weight alcohols, many with branched-chain skeletons, mercaptans and cyclic products, were among the compounds identified. The amount of volatiles present appeared to correlate well with the heating time to which the sample had been subjected.