HS-SPME-GC applied to rancidity assessment in bakery foods

Fat is present in bakery foods, as a natural component of ingredients or it is added in the formulation for rheological, technological and sensorial reasons. However the presence of fat can lead to oxidation problems during the shelf life of the products, also affected by cooking temperatures. The control of the oxidative status deals with two issues: the insurance of food safety for consumers and economic aspects for companies. This work points out the possibility to use hexanal as unique index for oxidation status and it suggests a fast solid phase microextraction (SPME) method to analyze it.