Analysis of natural complex mixtures of volatiles is one of the
most important fields of application of gas chromatography (GC)
and related techniques [1]. GC is usually applied (a) to characterize
sample composition, (b) to quantify informative analytes or
(bio)-markers such as toxic compounds, regulated substances (e.g.
volatile suspected allergens) or potent odorants (e.g. key-aroma
compounds), and (c) to detect adulterations.
A common compositional characteristic of plant volatile fractions
is the variable nature and abundance of constituents [from
traces (ng/g) to some percent (g/100 g)], which mainly consists of