| The objective of this thesis was to develop a new technique to study aroma transport through polymeric materials. Barrier properties were characterized by using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to gas chromatography (GC). Experimental results showed the influence of the chemical structure of the permeant, nature of the polymer, fat sorption and temperature on aroma diffusion through plastic films. The loss of d-limonene compound was more pronounced than menthol and vanillin aroma for both HDPE and HDPE/EVOH/HDPE films. Data confirm the effect of EVOH on the retention of non-polar aroma compound (d-limonene). In presence of olive oil, d-limonene permeation through HDPE/EVOH/HDPE decreased while vanillin diffusion seemed to be non affected. As expected, compared to experiments done at room temperature, d-limonene and vanillin losses were higher when samples were stored at 40°C (+/-1) and lower at 20°C (+/-1). |
