Comparison of Flavor Profiles of Honey Peach Cultivars by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) with Odor Activity Values (OAVs), E-Tongue, and Sensory Evaluation Combined with Chemometrics

Abstract

The honey peach is popular due to its unique flavor. However, the flavor characteristics of honey peaches cultivated in Yangzhou and Wuxi remain unclear. In this study, the flavor profiles in five famous honey peaches, Yangzhou Baifeng (YBF), Yangzhou Zhonghujing (YZHJ), Yangzhou Wanhujing (YWHJ), Wuxi Baifeng (WBF), and Wuxi Wanhujing (WWHJ), were investigated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) combined with odor activity values (OAVs), electronic tongue (E-tongue) and sensory evaluation. A total of 84 flavor substances were identified by GC–MS and 17 odor-active compounds were detected with OAVs more than 1. WBF samples had the highest concentration of total volatile compounds, and relatively higher OAVs of γ-decalactone and γ-dodecalactone contributed to peach-like aroma. Principal component analysis (PCA) and heatmap analysis indicated that the honey peach cultivars from different origins and varieties had distinct aroma and taste profiles. Sensory evaluation demonstrated that WBF samples had the highest scores of peach-like, fruity aroma, sweetness, juiciness and overall acceptability. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was performed to investigate the correlation between physicochemical properties, odor-active compounds, E-tongue measurements and sensory attributes. Results indicated that linalool and umami had significant contribution to honey peach sensory attributes, and further confirmed that YBF was characterized by floral aroma and WBF was similar with peach-like and green attributes. The results of this study provide a comprehensive understanding of flavor characteristics and differences of the honey peaches, which could contribute to the further development and production of these products.