Abstract:In this study, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry (GC-MS-O) combined with odor activity value (OAV) was used to identify 9, 16, 12 and 10 key aroma compounds from Jiashi, Huanghe, Xizhoumi 25 and Xizhoumi 17, respectively. Among which, 7 aroma substances, such as ethyl acetate, butyl acetate and benzyl acetate, were the characteristic aroma substances of Chinese thick skinned muskmelon. Six sensory characteristics of melon, namely fruity, cucumber-like, sweet, greens, floral and musk-roasted aromas, were determined by quantitative descriptive analysis, and the corresponding sensory scores were given. Cluster heat map analysis was used to analyze the differences in the types and contents of key aroma substances in four kinds of melon. Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) was used to investigate the reasons behind the formation of sensory characteristics of melon aroma. The results showed that ethyl acetate was related to the musk-roasted sensory characteristics, 2-methylbutylacetate and butyl acetate were related to fruity sensory attribute. Benzyl acetate, 3-methylbutanal, (E,Z)-3, 6-nonene-1-ol, methyl thioacetate, (Z)-6-nonene-1-ol and ethyl 3-methylbutyrate were significantly correlated with the floral and cucumber-like sensory features of melon. This study provides a basis for improving the aroma of thick skinned muskmelon and establishing its sensory quality evaluation system.
