Aroma profiles of commercial Chinese traditional fermented fish (Suan yu) in Western Hunan: GC-MS, odor activity value and sensory evaluation by partial least squares regression

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this study, the aroma volatile compounds of commercial Chinese traditional fermented fish (Suan yu) from western Hunan were investigated. A total of 59 volatile compounds were identified and quantified by GC-MS combined with headspace solid-phase microextraction. Esters and alcohols presented over 50 percent of the overall aroma in concentration. With the calculation of odor activity values (OAVs), 20 odorants were recognized as aroma-active compounds due to their OAVs greater than 1, including esters (10), alcohols (5), acids (1), and aldehydes (4). Sensory evaluation revealed higher scores in estery, fruity, and grassy attributes than others. A positive correlation between sensory attributes and aroma-active compounds was clearly elaborated by partial least squares regression analysis (PLSR). PLSR results indicated that ethyl-2-methylbutyrate, ethyl 3-methylbutyrate, and ethyl decanoate were significantly and positively correlated with fruity attribute, while ethyl hexanoate and 1-octen-3-ol had a significant positive impact on estery and grassy attribute, respectively. This study elaborates the aroma profile of Suan yu from western Hunan of China, and implies the availability of PLSR for the flavor evaluation of fish products.