Abstract:

Gas chromatography (GC) is commonly used in the analysis of aroma compounds and retention index (RI) is one of the most important parameters in qualitative analysis by GC. GC-MS with RI has a very distinct advantage in the determination of aroma compounds. RI can be obtained by experiments or prediction and the data from experiments are more reliable. However, RIs of some compounds are difficult to obtain by experiments. Presently, RI prediction is still at the exploratory stage but many prediction models are available and RIs of some specific compound species can be accurately predicted. RI makes a great contribution to aroma research, especially in the determination of unknown natural aroma compounds with complicated compositions. The establishment of RI database will be very helpful for rapid detection of aroma compounds.

Key words: gas chromatography, retention index, aroma compounds, prediction, model, application