Stefan Koschinski

Laura McGregor, Stefan Koschinski, and Elinor Hughes, SepSolve Analytical Assessing aroma profiles with high-capacity sorptive extraction combined with GC×GC–TOF-MS and powerful data mining software.

This article describes the use of a headspace thermal desorption–gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (headspace TD–GC–TOF-MS) method to analyze complex aroma profiles from hops, and highlights how it can provide a rapid yet robust approach when comparing similar samples. The article also examines the potential of “soft” electron ionization at 12 eV for distinguishing between structurally similar monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids to provide better characterization of the often subtle differences in headspace profiles between different hop varieties.