Volatomics-assisted characterization of aroma and off-flavor contributors in fresh and thermally treated kiwifruit juice

• Published in: Food research international Vol. 167; p. 112656
• Main Authors: Xu, Sujuan, He, Wanying, Yan, Jinting, Zhang, Runguang, Wang, Peng, Tian, Honglei, Zhan, Ping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2023
• Subjects: Aroma profile; Aroma/odor-active compounds; Flavoring Agents - analysis; Fruit - chemistry; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - methods; Kiwifruit juice; Odorants - analysis; Off-flavors; Smell; Thermal treatment; Volatomics; Aroma/odor-active compounds; XX; Volatomics; GC–MS; OAV; Aroma profile; HW; QDA; Kiwifruit juice; HY; Off-flavors; HS-SPME; CX; HA; YT; QM; GC-O/DF; PLSR; KI; Thermal treatment
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112656

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•Aroma profiles of fresh kiwifruit juice from seven cultivars were characterized.•Volatomics techniques were applied to clarify the formation mechanism of off-flavors during juice processing.•Polar DB-WAX and non-polar HP-5MS columns were both used.•Seven odorants were identified as important off-flavor contributors.
The distinctive aroma profile of kiwifruit juice was significantly changed during thermal treatment, however, the theoretical basis for clarifying and controlling the changes was deficient. In this study, we applied volatomics techniques to investigate the contributors of off-flavors in thermally treated kiwifruit juice. Sixteen aroma compounds were identified to be responsible for the typical “fruity”, “grassy”, and “cucumber-like” flavors of fresh kiwifruit by two different fused silica capillary columns coupled with chromatography-olfactometry/detection frequency (GC-O/DF) analysis and calculation of odor activity value (OAV). Thirty-one odor-active compounds were determined as important contributors to the sensory profile of thermally treated kiwifruit juice, 14 of which were common to all varieties investigated. The key aroma compounds on fresh kiwifruit significantly decreased after thermal treatment, while decanal, (E)-2-decenal, methional, β-damascenone, 1-octen-3-one, DMHF, and dimethyl sulfide which presented undesirable cooked cabbage/potato, roasted fruit, and sulfurous odors, were accumulated in a large amount. By applying PLSR analysis, (E)-2-decenal, methional, β-damascenone, DMHF, and dimethyl sulfide were further verified to have great contributions to the formation of the cooked off-flavor during thermal treatment. Moreover, XX was found to be more thermal-sensitive and more prone to forming cooked off-flavors after thermal treatment. This study could provide theoretical guidance for the regulation of thermal-induced off-flavors during the manufacturing of kiwifruit juice.