A selective and sensitive approach to characterize odour‐active and volatile constituents in small‐scale human milk samples

A sensitive and selective analytical approach was developed for the characterization of trace volatile and odorous substances in body fluids. The methodology was successfully applied for identification of more than 40 characteristic odorants in human milk. The technique comprises a modified stir bar sorptive extraction system in combination with two‐dimensional gas chromatographic separation and parallel mass spectrometric and olfactometric characterization of the analytes. The present study shows that the technique can be used for both direct extractive sampling and headspace analysis, and that it is applicable for small sample volumes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.