Abstract:To characterize the aroma compounds of the new lychee cultivar, headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPEM) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technology was used to analyze the fruit aromas of ‘Liniangxiang’ and the common cultivars ‘Guiwei’, ‘Nuomici’, and ‘Fengshanhongdenglong’. Discriminant models were established using orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA). Characteristic aroma compounds of ‘Liniangxiang’ were identified based on their variable importance in projection (VIP), fold change (FC), and odor activity value (OAV) values. The results showed that a total of 645 aroma compounds belonging to 16 chemical classes were detected in the four varieties, with terpenes identified as the predominant compounds. 391 distinct volatile compounds were identified using VIP and FC values. Further screening based on OAV>1 revealed 41 characteristic aroma compounds. Cluster heat map analysis indicated that these 41 compounds could be categorized into 4 distinct regions. Among them, region I contained 18 characteristic aroma volatile compounds such as 3-mercapto-3-methylbutyl formate ester, trans-2-nonanal, trans-2,cis-6-nonadienal, δ-cadinene, and p-cresol, which effectively distinguished ‘Liniangxiang’ from the other three varieties. This distinction may contribute significantly to the unique flavor of ‘Liniangxiang’. This study provides valuable references for promoting and utilizing the new lychee variety.