Abstract: Volatile compounds in different parts of sturgeon were analyzed by solid phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to find out the major compounds responsible for the characteristic smell and fishy odor. Over 60 compounds including aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, hydrocarbons and acids were identified in the ventral, tergal, tail, skin, gill and liver of the fish. Among the identified compounds, aldehydes, alcohols and hydrocarbons were predominant. Six different parts of sturgeon varied in the types and relative contents of volatile compounds and were richer in aldehydes and hydrocarbons than other identified compounds. The contents of alcohols in sturgeon liver, skin and gill were 32.08%, 44.96% and 5.51%, respectively. The lowest amount of volatile compounds was found in tergal meat. Sturgeon was mainly characterized by grassy, fishy and fatty odor. The major compounds contributing to the fishy odor were hexanal and 1-octen-3-ol.

Key words: sturgeon, solid phase microextraction (SPME), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), volatile compounds