A View on Volatile Compounds of Kars Gruyere Cheese, a Traditional Cheese in Turkey

The study aims to determine volatile compound profile of Kars Gruyere cheese, which was produced by the traditional method. The volatile components were extracted from samples obtained from 20 different sales points, by using the SPME (solid phase micro-extraction) technique and identified using Gas Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS). In the samples, totally 40 compounds were identified including aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, acids, esters, terpenes, aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrogenous compounds and furan group. The study determined that the compounds of acetaldehyde, nonanal, 2-pentanone, ethanol, acetic acid, propionic acid, butanoic acid, ethyl propionate, ethyl butyrate, n-buthyl acetate, toluene and 6-methylthio-(1)-benzothiazole compounds have a significant share in the volatile compound porfile of Gruyere cheese’s.