Characterization of the Aroma-Active Compounds in 20 Pungent Spices by Solvent-Assisted Flavor Evaporation Combined with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/Olfactometry

In order to study the aroma-active components of pungent spices and to promote the standardization of their processing and application, this work used solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry (GC-MS/O) to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the aroma-active components of 20 pungent spices. Using olfactory analysis, a total of 203 aroma-active compounds with flavor dilution (FD) values ≥ 9 were identified mainly consisting of alcohols, sulfur compounds, olefins, esters, ketones, aldehydes, phenols and acids, and the concentrations of aromaactive compounds varied between different spices. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that all samples could be well classified into three groups. The aroma-active compounds of garlic, Welsh onion, chive and onion were dominated by sulfur compounds, while the aroma-active components of the other pungent spices were dominated by olefins, alcohols, phenols and ketones. Aroma-active sulfur-containing compounds were detected in garlic at the highest level of 3484777.68 μg/kg, including disulphide and trisulphide, contributing to the characteristic flavor of Allium plants. The highest content of aromaactive olefinic compounds of 72847224.14 μg/kg was detected in ginger, and the major aroma-active components of ginger were α-gingerene and β-sesquiterpene. Alcohols and ketones were detected in wild mint at high levels of 284886.09 and 196167.66 μg/kg, respectively, and the characteristic aroma components of wild mint were menthol and carvone. Aromaactive aldehydes were detected in litsea at high levels of 469242.68 μg/kg. The major aroma-active components detected in litsea were citral and citronellal. This study provides a theoretical basis for the deep processing of pungent spices.