Rapid Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds Associated with Plant-Based Milks Versus Bovine Milk Using an Integrated PTR-ToF-MS and GC-MS Approach

The growing demand for plant-based beverages has underscored the importance of investigating their volatile profiles, which play a crucial role in sensory perception and consumer acceptance. This is especially true for plant-based milks (PBMs) that have a clear reference model in bovine milk. This s...

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Main Authors: Antonia Corvino, Iuliia Khomenko, Emanuela Betta, Federico Ivan Brigante, Luana Bontempo, Franco Biasioli, Vittorio Capozzi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Molecules
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/4/761
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author Antonia Corvino
Iuliia Khomenko
Emanuela Betta
Federico Ivan Brigante
Luana Bontempo
Franco Biasioli
Vittorio Capozzi
author_facet Antonia Corvino
Iuliia Khomenko
Emanuela Betta
Federico Ivan Brigante
Luana Bontempo
Franco Biasioli
Vittorio Capozzi
author_sort Antonia Corvino
collection DOAJ
description The growing demand for plant-based beverages has underscored the importance of investigating their volatile profiles, which play a crucial role in sensory perception and consumer acceptance. This is especially true for plant-based milks (PBMs) that have a clear reference model in bovine milk. This study characterises the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in soy, almond and oat beverages compared to bovine milk using proton transfer reaction-time of flight-mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) as a rapid and noninvasive screening tool, complemented by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for compound identification. A total of 188 mass peaks were detected by PTR-ToF-MS, all showing significant differences from the blank, while GC-MS allowed the identification of 50 compounds, supporting the tentative identifications performed with PTR-MS analysis. In order to facilitate a comparison of different milks, after statistical analysis, these 188 mass peaks were further categorised into two groups: one consisting of VOCs with minimal variability across all samples and another comprising VOCs with significantly different abundances, distinctly characterising each beverage. Principal component analysis revealed a clear separation between bovine milk and PBMs, with almond beverages exhibiting the richest volatilome, while oat beverages displayed a more homogeneous volatile profile. PTR-ToF-MS demonstrated its ability to analyse volatile profiles rapidly, with excellent complementarity to GC-MS in terms of analytical versatility. The results provided a valuable basis for testing new experimental designs aimed to characterise and enhance flavour profiles in plant-based beverages, also after processing, in case of new product development that considers using these milks as raw materials.
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spelling doaj-art-d8217907e73b45cb97b61abc2f7204c52025-08-20T03:12:01ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-02-0130476110.3390/molecules30040761Rapid Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds Associated with Plant-Based Milks Versus Bovine Milk Using an Integrated PTR-ToF-MS and GC-MS ApproachAntonia Corvino0Iuliia Khomenko1Emanuela Betta2Federico Ivan Brigante3Luana Bontempo4Franco Biasioli5Vittorio Capozzi6Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, ItalyResearch and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, ItalyResearch and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, ItalyResearch and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, ItalyResearch and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, ItalyResearch and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, ItalyNational Research Council of Italy, Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA) c/o CS-DAT, Via Michele Protano, 71121 Foggia, ItalyThe growing demand for plant-based beverages has underscored the importance of investigating their volatile profiles, which play a crucial role in sensory perception and consumer acceptance. This is especially true for plant-based milks (PBMs) that have a clear reference model in bovine milk. This study characterises the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in soy, almond and oat beverages compared to bovine milk using proton transfer reaction-time of flight-mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) as a rapid and noninvasive screening tool, complemented by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for compound identification. A total of 188 mass peaks were detected by PTR-ToF-MS, all showing significant differences from the blank, while GC-MS allowed the identification of 50 compounds, supporting the tentative identifications performed with PTR-MS analysis. In order to facilitate a comparison of different milks, after statistical analysis, these 188 mass peaks were further categorised into two groups: one consisting of VOCs with minimal variability across all samples and another comprising VOCs with significantly different abundances, distinctly characterising each beverage. Principal component analysis revealed a clear separation between bovine milk and PBMs, with almond beverages exhibiting the richest volatilome, while oat beverages displayed a more homogeneous volatile profile. PTR-ToF-MS demonstrated its ability to analyse volatile profiles rapidly, with excellent complementarity to GC-MS in terms of analytical versatility. The results provided a valuable basis for testing new experimental designs aimed to characterise and enhance flavour profiles in plant-based beverages, also after processing, in case of new product development that considers using these milks as raw materials.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/4/761direct injection mass spectrometry (DIMS)volatile organic compounds (VOCs)flavourmilkproton transfer reaction (PTR)gas chromatography (GC)
spellingShingle Antonia Corvino
Iuliia Khomenko
Emanuela Betta
Federico Ivan Brigante
Luana Bontempo
Franco Biasioli
Vittorio Capozzi
Rapid Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds Associated with Plant-Based Milks Versus Bovine Milk Using an Integrated PTR-ToF-MS and GC-MS Approach
Molecules
direct injection mass spectrometry (DIMS)
volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
flavour
milk
proton transfer reaction (PTR)
gas chromatography (GC)
title Rapid Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds Associated with Plant-Based Milks Versus Bovine Milk Using an Integrated PTR-ToF-MS and GC-MS Approach
title_full Rapid Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds Associated with Plant-Based Milks Versus Bovine Milk Using an Integrated PTR-ToF-MS and GC-MS Approach
title_fullStr Rapid Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds Associated with Plant-Based Milks Versus Bovine Milk Using an Integrated PTR-ToF-MS and GC-MS Approach
title_full_unstemmed Rapid Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds Associated with Plant-Based Milks Versus Bovine Milk Using an Integrated PTR-ToF-MS and GC-MS Approach
title_short Rapid Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds Associated with Plant-Based Milks Versus Bovine Milk Using an Integrated PTR-ToF-MS and GC-MS Approach
title_sort rapid profiling of volatile organic compounds associated with plant based milks versus bovine milk using an integrated ptr tof ms and gc ms approach
topic direct injection mass spectrometry (DIMS)
volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
flavour
milk
proton transfer reaction (PTR)
gas chromatography (GC)
url https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/4/761
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