Abstract
Vacuum-Assisted Sorbent Extraction (VASE) is a novel extraction technique that uses vacuum to facilitate the transfer of volatile compounds from the matrix to the sorbent. This technique was explored for extraction of volatiles from cape gooseberry fruit, for both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Selected extraction parameters were tested: sample size, extraction temperature and time, influence of tissue disintegration on release of volatiles, and also addition of Ag(+1) ions in the form of AgNO(3) to stop enzymatic formation of volatile compounds. For selected conditions (10 g sample, extraction for 30 min. at 40 °C of volatiles from blended fruit) quantitative aspects were explored. Twenty-two compounds of cape gooseberry were tested. The method was characterized with a very good linearity in a range of 10-5000 µg/kg and good reproducibility. The experiments proved the usefulness of VASE in both volatile profiling and quantitative analyses of cape gooseberry and in prospective other fruit.