Investigations were carried out to determine whether flavor compounds characteristic for fresh cucumbers could be rapidly determined using a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) dynamic headspace sampling method combined with gas chromatography and flame ionization detection. Cucumbers were sampled, during blending, for fresh cucumber flavor compounds (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal and (E)-2-nonenal. The GC was such that the two target compounds were separated and baseline-resolved. Relative standard deviations for analysis of both (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal and (E)-2-nonenal using this SPME sampling method were +/-10%. Utility of the analytical method was demonstrated by determining the effect of heat treatments on the ability of cucumbers to produce these flavor impact compounds.

The ability of nonacidified, refrigerated pickled cucumbers to produce the fresh cucumber flavor impact compounds (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal and (E)-2-nonenal declined during storage. Production of these compounds decreased as the pH of refrigerated cucumbers was reduced. Despite the fact that the concentrations of (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal and (E)-2-nonenal generated were over 10(5)-fold greater than the threshold levels, it was possible for a sensory panel to consistently detect differences in the intensity of fresh cucumber flavor, provided the pH difference between samples was 1 unit or greater. The presence of spices did not interfere with the ability of panelists to detect differences in fresh flavor intensity. There was a linear correlation between sensory scores and the amount of (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal produced by cucumbers equilibrated at different pH levels.