2.10. Odor activity value (OAV)
OAVs were calculated as the ratio of each volatile compound concentration
found in bread crumb to the odor threshold (OT) in water.
Bread is, however, a complex food matrix and therefore it should be
underlined that an aqueous OT value of a volatile compound will
only give an approximation of the OAV in bread crumb. It would
have been more appropriate to calculate the OAVs from OT in starch
or cellulose. They were however, not available from the literature
for the majority of the compounds. To take the uncertainty of the calculated
OAVs into account it was assumed that volatiles having an
OAV of 0.1 or higher might be important in bread crumb aroma. Volatiles
with an OAV of 0.1 or higher are therefore named aroma compounds
and they are the compounds which are emphasized in the
data analysis and discussion.