Characterization of the major aroma-active compounds in peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) by gas chromatography-olfactometry, flame photometric detection and molecular sensory science approaches.

Abstract Aroma profiles and aroma-active compounds of “Yulu” peach from Fenghua (the peach known for the best flavor and quality in China) were investigated by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE), gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC–O), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and flame photometric detection (FPD). The combination of these methods improved the analysis and identification of aroma substances compared to the combination of a single aroma extraction method and GC–MS. A total of 85 aroma-active compounds, including 10 sulfur compounds were detected. Methional, methyl 3-(methylthio)propionate, methionol, and benzothiazole were first detected in peaches. These aroma compounds cannot only supplement the database of aroma substances of peaches, but also provide data support for traceability of the origins of “Yulu” peaches. In addition, the odor activity value (OAV) was used to identify the contributions of the most important compounds. The results indicated that hexanal, 3-methylbutanal, (E)-2-hexen-1-ol, 3-mercaptohexyl acetate, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, 2-methylpropanal, γ-decalactone, 2-methylbutanal, theaspirane, and δ-decalactone were the key aroma-active compounds. The key characteristic aroma components were further ascertained by aroma reconstitution and omission experiments, which showed that the fruity, floral, sulfur, and sour notes could be well simulated. Finally, the perceptual interactions between different sulfur compounds and fruity recombination (FR) were explored. 3-mercaptohexanol and 4-methyl-4-mercaptopentan-2-one could significantly decrease the threshold of FR. The possible reason was that these two sulfur compounds had synergistic effects with the aroma compounds in FR, with the U model confirming the results of these synergistic effects. The perceptual interactions provide a basis for the regulation of characteristic fruity aroma of peach products.