Determination of Aroma Compounds Composition of Erzincan Tulum Cheese by SPME/GC-MS Technique

Erzincan Tulum cheese is a cheese type that is frequently consumed especially in the eastern regions of Turkey (Erzincan, Erzurum, Tunceli, Bingöl and Elazığ) with its characteristic taste and aroma properties. In this study, the composition of aroma substances and some physicochemical properties of Erzincan Tulum cheese were investigated. The moisture content of Tulum cheese was determined as 36.6±0.03%, ash content as 4.09±0.02%, fat content as 35.9±0.13% and protein content as 20.7±0.33%. A total of 22 compounds were determined as aroma compounds in Tulum cheese, including seven acids, six esters, five ketones, two aldehydes, one alcohol and one terpene. Among the aroma compound groups detected, acids were the most dominant aroma compound group in terms of quantity, followed by esters. The most dominant compounds among the acids were hexanoic acid and butanoic acid (5885 and 4151 µg/kg, respectively).