The effects of thickeners on the headspace release of aroma compounds from a model dairy gel were investigated. Starch, pectin, and locust bean gum (LBG) were introduced separately to the fat-free dairy gel via sugar syrups. The release of nine aroma compounds was analyzed by solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and the partition coefficients of retention were calculated. For an increase in starch concentration, there was an overall decrease in aroma release. Pectin concentrations in gel higher than 0.04% caused an increase in aroma release. For LBG no major effect was observed. A quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) approach was used to propose which types of interactions were involved between aroma molecules and thickener macromolecules in the complex foodstuff. Twenty molecular descriptors of volatile compounds appeared to be significant in correlation with the partition coefficients of retention. The surface-weighted negatively charged partial surface area seemed to play a critical role in the behavior of aroma compound