Evaluation of the Interaction Between Esters and Sulfur Compounds in Pineapple Using Feller’s Additive Model, OAV, and Odor Activity Coefficient

Abstract

The volatile compounds in three cultivar pineapples (“Jinzuan, JZ,” “Niunai, NN,” and “iangshui, XS”) were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), and gas chromatography-flame photometric detection (GC-FPD). The results showed that 47, 51, and 52 aroma compounds were identified in JZ, NN, and XS pineapple samples, respectively. Among these aroma compounds, the odor activity values (OAVs) of 15, 19, and 15 compounds were greater than 1. Methyl 2-methylbutanoate and ethyl 2-methylbutanoate presented the highest OAVs than others. Additionally, four, five, and four sulfur compounds were identified respectively, of which 1-propanethiol (PT) and 3-mercapto-1-hexanol were found for the first time in pineapple. The Feller additive model, OAV, and odor activity coefficient (γ) were used to investigate the interaction between esters (methyl butyrate (MB) and methyl 2-methylbutanoate (M2MB)) and sulfur compounds (methyl 3-methylthiopropionate (M3MP), ethyl 3-methylthiopropionate (E3MP), and PT). Among all mixtures, three groups of mixtures were shown to have a masking effect, two exhibited an additive effect, and one exerted a synergistic effect.