Comprehensive evaluation of malt volatile compounds contaminated by Fusarium graminearum during malting

Fusarium graminearum is the most important filamentous fungi in the malting process, and greatly affect s malting performance and malt quality. Analysis of the emitted volatiles from F. graminearum mycelium was used to evaluate the malt flavour contaminated by F. graminearum during malting based on solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. GC–MS analysis of different mycelium samples revealed a broad spectrum of volatile compounds including aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, organic acids and aromatics, which were highly similar to those of barley and malt. Statistical assessment of the data via principal component analysis demonstrated that the major contributors to the time-dependent dynamic changes in the volatiles were the volatile aldehyde, alcohol and ketone fractions in the contaminated malting process. The results showed that volatile concentration was modulated by the -metabolism of the green malt and F. graminearum. Volatile compounds from green malt were influenced by F. graminearum fungi contamination during malting, although some were probably generated by this fungus.