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. 2021 Jun 28;10(7):1492. doi: 10.3390/foods10071492

Investigations on the Key Odorants Contributing to the Aroma of Children Soy Sauce by Molecular Sensory Science Approaches

Jia Huang 1, Haitao Chen 1,*, Zhimin Zhang 1, Yuping Liu 1,2,3,*, Binshan Liu 1, Baoguo Sun 1,2,3
PMCID: PMC8306071  PMID: 34203147

Abstract

To investigate the key odor-active compounds in children’s soy sauce (CSS), volatile components were extracted by means of solvent extraction coupled with solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SE-SAFE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Using gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), we identified a total of 55 odor-active compounds in six CSSs by comparing the odor characteristics, MS data, and retention indices with those of authentic compounds. Applying aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), we measured flavor dilution (FD) factors in SE-SAFE isolates, ranging from 1 to 4096, and in SPME isolates, ranging from 1 to 800. Twenty-eight odorants with higher FD factors and GC-MS responses were quantitated using the internal standard curve method. According to their quantitated results and thresholds in water, their odor activity values (OAVs) were calculated. On the basis of the OAV results, 27 odorants with OAVs ≥ 1 were determined as key odorants in six CSSs. These had previously been reported as key odorants in general soy sauce (GSS), so it was concluded that the key odorants in CSS are the same as those in GSS.

Keywords: children soy sauce, gas chromatography-olfactometry, AEDA, FD factor, quantitative measurements, OAV, key odorants

1. Introduction

Soy sauce (SS) originated in China about 2700 years ago [1]. As a kind of condiment, SS was mainly manufactured in Asian countries, but it was consumed in various places around the world. In recent years, with the rapid development of children’s food, many children’s soy sauces (CSSs) have been supplied in the Chinese market. These CSSs are claimed to have more nutritional elements, to be manufactured by a special process, and to be more suitable for consumption by children; their prices are much higher than those of general SS (GSS). Odor is one of the important sensory properties of CSS; to our knowledge, there have been no reports to date on the flavor constituents of CSS, nor is there a Chinese standard for CSS.

To date, reports about the flavor constituents of SS have focused on GSS. From 1887, researchers began to investigate the volatile compounds in SS [2], and to date, there have been many reports about the volatiles in SS [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. Among the volatile compounds identified, not all of them contribute to the overall odor profiles of SS. Gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) analysis has been used as an effective method to screen the odor-active compounds from the volatiles in food extracts. Volatile components in Korean SS were extracted via solid phase microextraction (SPME) and solvent extraction, and the extracts were analyzed using GC-O. Eleven odor-active compounds were identified, and methional, 3-methylbutanoic acid, guaiacol, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)furanone (DMHF) and 2-ethyl-4-hydroxy -5-methyl-3(2H)furanone (HEMF) were found to have higher flavor dilution (FD) factors [3]. The key aroma compounds in Japanese SS were characterized using molecular sensory science approaches for the first time in 2007. Twenty-eight aroma-active compounds were identified by means of GC-O analysis in an isolate obtained from Japanese SS through solvent extraction combined with solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SE-SAFE), and 13 compounds with odor activity values (OAVs) > 1 were determined to be the key odorants [4]. To clarify the compounds’ contributions to the odor profiles of Japanese SS, researchers from Japan have investigated the aroma compounds in SS by means of GC-O, and more than 60 aroma-active compounds have been identified. Among those odorants, some compounds, including guaiacol, 4-ethyl guaiacol, 2(and 3)-methylbutanal, methional, DMHF, HEMF, etc., have a higher detection frequency in the analyzed samples [5,6,7]. Odor components in Chinese SS have also been examined by means of GC-O, and more than 50 aroma-active compounds have been determined. Some substances, such as 2-phenylethanol, 3-methylbutanol, 3-methylbutanoic acid, 2(and 3)-methylbutanal, methional, benzeneacetaldehyde, HEMF and dimethyl trisulfide, have been identified as aroma-active compounds in all Chinese SS samples [8,9]. The odorants in five Chinese high-salt liquid-state soy sauces were investigated using modified gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry. A total of 195 odor-active compounds were detected, and methional, maltol, guaiacol, 4-ethylguaiacol, 2-acetylpyrrole, 2-acetylfuran, 2-phenylethanol, furfural and DMHF showed high FD factors [10].

Because of the lack of reports about the odor-active compounds and key odorants in CSS, the aims of the present study were (i) to screen and identify the aroma-active compounds in CSS using GC-O, (ii) to quantitate the odorants identified, (iii) to identify the key odorants contributing to the characteristic odor of CSS by calculating the odor activity values (OAV, the ratio of an odorant concentration to its odor threshold) of those odor-active substances, and (iv) to determine if there are difference between CSS and GSS in key odorants.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Samples

Three Chinese children’s soy sauce samples (C1, C2, C3) were purchased from local supermarkets (Merry Mart and Yonghui superstores in Beijing, China); three Japanese children’s soy sauce samples (J1, J2, J3) were bought from online stores. The raw materials of samples were as follows. C1: water, organic defatted soybean, organic wheat and salt. C2: water, non-transgenic defatted soybean, wheat, corn, salt, sodium glutamate, disodium 5′-ribonucleotide, yeast extract, potassium sorbate, potassium acetylsulfonate and sucralose. C3: water, soybean, wheat flour, salt, sucrose, sodium glutamate and spices. J1: organic cabbage, organic common onion, organic radish, organic taro roots, organic pumpkin, organic scallop, organic soy sauce, natural Kombu and bonito. J2: soy sauce, powder of Kombu root, bonito, iron pyrophosphate and fructose syrup (from soybean and wheat). J3: non-transgenic soybean, wheat, salt, Kombu, extracts of Kombu, ethanol and vitamin B1. These samples were kept in a 4 °C refrigerator until extraction experiments were conducted.

2.2. Chemicals

Ethyl acetate (99.5%), 3-methylbutanal (99%), 2,3-butanedione (98%), 2,3-pentanedione (97%), ethyl 2-methylbutanoate (99%), 3-methylbutanol (99%), 1-octen-3-one (97%), 2,5-dimethylpyrazine (99%), 2,6-dimethylpyrazine (98%), 2-ethylpyrazine (98%), dimethyl trisulfide (98%), 2-ethyl-5-methylpyrazine (98%), nonanal (95%), 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (99%), propionic acid (99%), linalool (98%), ethyl 3-acetylpropionate (98%), 2-methylpropionic acid (99%), butanoic acid (99%), 3-methylbutanoic acid (99%), 2-furanmethanol (98%), methionol (98%), pentanoic acid (99%), ethyl phenylacetate (99%), 4-methylpentanoic acid (99%), methylcyclopentenolone (99%), guaiacol (99%), maltol (99%), 4-ethylguaiacol (98%) and 2-octanol (99 %, internal standard) were purchased from J&K Chemical Ltd. (Beijing, China). 2-methylbutanal (98%), ethyl propanoate (99.5%), ethyl 3-methylbutanoate (99%), hexanal (97%), octanal (99%), methional (98%), 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine (99%), 3-methyl-2-isobutyl pyrazine (>98%), benzeneacetaldehyde (95%), phenethyl alcohol (99%) and vanillin (>98%) were bought from Macklin Biochemical Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China). Ethyl butanoate (>98%), ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate (98%), (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal (>95%), 4-ethylphenol (>97%) and 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (99%) were obtained from TCI (Shanghai, China). Ethyl 2-methylpropanoate (>98%), 2,3-diethyl-5-methylpyrazine (>98%), 2-acetylpyrazine (>98%), 3-methylpentanoic acid (>98%) and γ-dodecalactone (>98%) were supplied by Adamas reagent Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China). Ethanol (>99%), acetic acid (>99%), anhydrous sodium sulfate and dichloromethane were purchased from Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd. (Beijing, China). Methanethiol (2000 μg/mL in toluene), 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone (98%), 5-ethyl-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-3(2H)-furanone (97%) and phenylacetic acid (95%) were supplied by AccuStandard (New Haven, CT, USA), Aladdin Reagents (Shanghai, China) Co., Ltd., Ark Pharm Inc. (Chicago, IL, USA), Key Organics (Cornwall, England), respectively. C6-C28 normal alkanes were bought from Aldrich Chemical Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China). Dichloromethane was freshly distilled prior to experiments.

2.3. Isolation of Volatiles from CSS

2.3.1. SE-SAFE for Volatile Components in CSS

CSS samples (100 mL) were extracted with redistilled dichloromethane (50 mL × 3) at room temperature by stirring vigorously for 1.5 h × 3, and the obtained extracts were merged together. The volatiles were isolated from the combined extracts via high vacuum distillation using SAFE (Edwards TIC Pumping Station from BOC Edwards, England). The extract containing neutral and basic volatile components was obtained by washing the distillate from SAFE with 0.05 mol/L sodium carbonate solution (100 mL × 2) and saturated sodium chloride (50 mL × 3), respectively. The alkaline aqueous phase was acidified to a pH value of 2 using 0.5 mol/L HCl solution, and then the mixture was extracted with dichloromethane (50 mL × 3) to obtain the isolate containing acidic volatile compounds [4]. Both extracts were dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate for about 12 h and concentrated to approximately 3–5 mL with Vigreux columns (50 cm × 1 cm) (Beijing Jingxing Glassware Co., Ltd., Beijing, China) at 45 °C, and then they were further concentrated to 0.3 mL using gentle nitrogen streams. These concentrates were used for GC-O and GC-MS analyses.

2.3.2. SPME for Volatile Constituents in CSS

The volatile compounds in CSS were also extracted by means of SPME, as described previously with some modifications [11]. A 2-cm (coated with 50/30 μm DVB/CAR/PDMS) SPME fiber (Supelco, Bellefonte, PA, USA) was preconditioned before extraction experiments in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. A mixture of 16 mL CSS and 2 g sodium chloride was placed in a 40-mL static headspace amber glass bottle fitted with a stir bar and a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-faced silicon septum. The extraction conditions for SPME obtained by optimizing experiments were as follows: equilibrium and extraction temperatures of 45 °C, an equilibrium time of 20 min, and an extraction time of 40 min. After the extraction experiment, the fiber was transferred to the injector port of GC for a 5-min desorption at 250 °C to conduct the GC-O and GC-MS analyses.

2.4. Analysis of Odor-Active Compounds in CSSs

2.4.1. GC-O Analysis

GC-O was performed by means of an Agilent 7890 GC combined with an olfactory detection port (ODP3, Gerstel, Germany) and an FID (Agilent Technologies, USA). The GC effluent at the end of the capillary column was split into a 1:2 ratio by volume using a Y-type splitter and two uncoated deactivated fused silica capillaries between the FID and ODP. To maintain the nose sensitivity, the sniffing port was coupled with humidified air. The temperatures of the GC injector port, the FID, the transfer line of ODP3 and the olfactory port were 250 °C, 280 °C, 250 °C and 220 °C, respectively. The extracts were analyzed on both a DB-Wax column and a Hp-5MS column (Agilent, both are 30 m × 0.25 mm × 0.25 μm). When the DB-Wax column was used, the oven temperature was held at 40 °C for 2 min, increased to 80 °C at a rate of 8 °C/min, increased to 100 °C at a rate of 4 °C/min, then rose to 230 °C at a rate of 6 °C/min, and finally held at 230 °C for 5 min. When the Hp-5MS column was used, the oven temperature was held at 40 °C for 2 min, increased to 100 °C at a rate of 4 °C/min, ramped to 230 °C at a rate of 10 °C/min and finally held at 230 °C for 5 min. Ultra-high purity helium was used as the GC carrier gas at a constant flow rate of 1 mL/min. All concentrated fractions (1 µL) or SPME isolates were injected in splitless mode. During GC-O analyses, three trained evaluators (two females and one male, who had been trained to sniff the aromas of reference compound solutions with different concentrations in the laboratory for at least 3 months) from Beijing Key Laboratory of Flavor Chemistry at Beijing Technology and Business University sniffed the odors of the effluent from the sniffing port. When evaluators detected the odor, they needed to record the retention time (RT) and the odor characteristics. Analyses were carried out three times by each evaluator.

2.4.2. GC-MS Analysis

GC-MS analyses for identification were conducted with an Agilent 7890B GC connected to an Agilent 5975 mass selective detector. The parameters, columns and temperature program for GC were the same as those employed in the GC-O analyses described above. Mass spectra in election ionization mode at 70 eV were recorded at 150 °C; the ion source temperature was kept at 230 °C. Detection was carried out in full-scan mode, and mass range was from 33 to 350 amu.

2.4.3. Odor-Active Compound Identification

A series of normal alkanes were analyzed using GC-O and GC-MS under the conditions described in Section 2.4.1 and 2.4.2, and RTs of normal alkanes were measured. Retention indexes (RIs) of the detected odor-active compounds were computed on the basis of their RTs and the RTs of normal alkanes. If the concentrations of odor-active compounds were higher than the detection limits of the mass selective detector, their MS data were obtained, and they were positively identified by comparing their MS data, RIs and odor characteristics with those of standard compounds and data in NIST2014. If the concentrations of odor-active compounds were lower than the detection limits of the mass selective detector, and their MS data were not available, they were positively identified by comparing their RIs and odor characteristics with those of standard compounds.

2.5. Aroma Extract Dilution Analysis (AEDA)

For AEDA, CSS volatile extracts obtained by SE-SAFE were diluted stepwise with redistilled dichloromethane to obtain serial dilutions of 1:2, 1:4, 1:8, 1:16, 1:32, 1:64, …, and 1:4096 [4]. For SPME isolates, the dilution was carried out by changing the split ratio to 1:5, 1:10, 1:25, 1:50, 1:100, 1:200, 1:400, 1:600 and 1:800 [8]. All dilutions were subjected to GC-O analyses on a DB-Wax column under the conditions described in Section 2.4.1 until no odorant could be detected. The flavor dilution (FD) factor of every odorant was defined as the maximum dilution in which the odor compound could be detected by the evaluator. If FD factors from three evaluators were different, the highest FD factors were adopted.

2.6. Quantitation of Selected Odor-Active Compounds in CSS

The odor-active compounds giving peaks in GC-MS chromatograms and having FD factors ≥32 in SE-SAFE isolates or FD factors ≥25 in SPME extracts were quantitated using the internal standard curve method; 2-octanol was used as an internal standard. Firstly, a series of solutions of the mixture of internal standard and authentic compounds were prepared and analyzed by GC-MS under the conditions described in Section 2.4.2 except that selective ion monitoring mode was used. The standard curves were obtained by plotting the ratios of the peak areas of the authentic compounds relative to that of 2-octanol against their concentration ratios. Then 2-octanol (300 μL, 37.15 μg/mL) was added into 100 mL CSS, and its final concentration was 111.45 μg/L. The volatiles in CSS were extracted via SE-SAFE according to the method described in Section 2.3.1; the extracts were concentrated to 1 mL and analyzed by GC-MS. Finally, the concentrations of selected odor-active compounds in CSS were calculated on the basis of GC-MS analysis results and standard curves.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Odor Evaluation

SE-SAFE and SPME were used for isolating the volatile constituents from CSS. In order to confirm if the odorants contributing to the characteristic odor of CSS had been extracted, the odors of the isolates obtained were evaluated by three well-experienced evaluators. The results showed that both the liquid extract obtained by SE-SAFE and the fiber of SPME had the same overall aroma profile as CSS. They had caramel, cooked potato, smoky, sour and floral notes. The odor intensity of isolates obtained via SE-SAFE was stronger than that of SPME fiber. That is, the extraction methods used were appropriate.

3.2. Odor-Active Compounds Detected Using GC-O

The volatile isolates of six CSSs obtained via SE-SAFE and SPME were analyzed by means of GC-O; the odor-active regions were detected. To identify the structures of the odor-active compounds, their odor characteristics, mass spectra data and RIs were compared with the data obtained from the published literature and authentic standards. The results are listed in Table 1.

Table 1.

Odor-active compounds identified in six CSS samples.

No. Compound RI Odor Quality Chinese CSSs Japanese CSSs Isolate c Identification d
DB-Wax a HP-5 b C1 C2 C3 J1 J2 J3
1 methanethiol 690 <600 sulfur, garlic + + + + + + S O, RI, S
2 ethyl acetate 880 - e fruity - - - - - + A,S O, RI, S
3 2(3)-methylbutanal 919 651 malty + + + + + + NB,S O, MS, RI, S
4 ethanol 930 <600 alcoholic + - + - + + S O, RI, S
5 ethyl propanoate 939 - e fruity - - - + + - S O, RI, S
6 ethyl 2-methylpropanoate 964 750 fruity + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
7 2,3-butanedione 973 603 butter + + + + + + A,NB,S O, RI, S
8 ethyl butanoate 1048 800 fruity + + + + + + A,S O, MS, RI, S
9 2,3-pentanedione 1055 - e butter - - + + + + NB,S O, RI, S
10 ethyl 2-methylbutanoate 1061 839 fruity + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
11 ethyl 3-methylbutanoate 1072 847 fruity + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
12 hexanal 1090 795 green - - - + + + S O, RI, S
13 3-methylbutanol 1205 - e malty + + + + + + NB,S O, MS, RI, S
14 octanal 1284 1005 fatty, green + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
15 1-octen-3-one 1297 983 mushroom-like + + + + + + A,NB,S O, RI, S
16 2,5-dimethylpyrazine 1314 - e roasty - - - + + + NB,S O, RI, S
17 2,6-dimethylpyrazine 1332 912 roasty + + + - + + NB,S O, MS, RI, S
18 2-ethylpyrazine 1339 - e roasty + + + + + + NB,S O, RI, S
19 dimethyl trisulfide 1383 980 sulfur, cabbage + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
20 2-ethyl-5-methylpyrazine 1386 - e roasty, nutty - + - - - - NB O, RI, S
21 nonanal 1390 1090 fatty - + + - + - NB,S O, MS, RI, S
22 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine 1404 998 roasty, earthy + + + + + + NB,S O, MS, RI, S
23 acetic acid 1440 660 sour + + + + + + A,S O, MS, RI, S
24 methional 1450 911 cooked potato + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
25 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine 1461 1078 roasty, earthy + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
26 2,3-diethyl-5-methylpyrazine 1492 - e earthy + + + - - - NB,S O, RI, S
27 3-methyl-2-isobutyl pyrazine 1500 - e green - + - - - - S O, RI, S
28 ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate 1530 1068 fruity + + + - - - NB,S O, MS, RI, S
29 propionic acid 1533 - e sour + - - - - - A O, RI, S
30 linalool 1547 1106 green, woody - - - + + + NB,S O, RI, S
31 2-methylpropionic acid 1564 - e sour + + + - - - A O, RI, S
32 (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal 1579 - e cucumber + + + + + + NB,S O, RI, S
33 ethyl 3-acetylpropionate 1603 1020 fruity + - - - - - NB O, RI, S
34 2-acetylpyrazine 1625 1025 bready, roasty + + + + + + NB,S O, RI, S
35 butanoic acid 1629 793 sour + + + + + + A O, MS, RI, S
36 benzeneacetaldehyde 1637 1045 honey-like + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
37 3-methylbutanoic acid 1663 870 sweaty, cheese + + + + + + A,S O, MS, RI, S
38 2-furanmethanol 1668 860 coffee, nutty + + + + + + NB,S O, MS, RI, S
39 methionol 1712 990 cooked potato + + + + + + NB,S O, MS, RI, S
40 pentanoic acid 1731 900 sour - + - - + - A O, RI, S
41 ethyl phenylacetate 1781 1260 floral + - - - + + S O, MS, RI, S
42 3-methylpentanoic acid 1788 - e sweaty, cheese + + + + + + A,S O, RI, S
43 4-methylpentanoic acid 1791 - e sweaty, cheese + + - + + + A,S O, RI, S
44 methylcyclopentenolone 1827 1030 caramel-like + + + + - + A,NB O, RI, S
45 guaiacol 1855 1082 burnt, smoky + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
46 phenethyl alcohol 1909 1110 floral + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
47 maltol 1969 1113 caramel-like + + + + + + A O, MS, RI, S
48 4-ethylguaiacol 2026 1280 burnt, smoky + + + + + + NB,S O, MS, RI, S
49 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone 2033 1075 caramel-like + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
50 5-ethyl-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-3(2H)-furanone 2058 1136 caramel-like + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
51 4-ethylphenol 2169 1165 smoky + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
52 2,6-dimethoxyphenol 2264 - e burnt, smoky + + + + + + A,NB,S O, MS, RI, S
53 γ-dodecalactone 2382 - e fatty - + + - - - NB O, MS, RI, S
54 vanillin 2570 1398 vanilla + + + + + + A,NB,S O, RI, S
55 phenylacetic acid 2578 - e honey + + + - + + A,S O, MS, RI, S

a Retention index of compounds on a DB-WAX column. b Retention index of compounds on a HP-5 column. c Isolate: S indicates compounds isolated by solid-phase microextraction; NB represents compounds isolated from the neutral-basic volatile fraction of the extract obtained by SE-SAFE; A represents compounds isolated from the acidic volatile components of the extract obtained by SE-SAFE. d Identification methods: O means confirmed by odor characteristics; MS refers to identification by comparison with the NIST 2014 mass spectra database; RI means confirmed by retention index; S means confirmed by authentic standards. e indicates that the compound was not isolated by the HP-5 column. + means the compound was identified in the sample; -means the compound is not identified in the sample.

A total of 55 aroma-active compounds were identified from six CSSs on the DB-Wax and HP-5 columns in Table 1, including 10 esters, nine carboxylic acid, nine pyrazines, seven aldehydes, seven ketones, five alcohols, four phenols and four sulfur-containing compounds. Of 55 compounds, six odorants (1, 4, 5, 12, 27 and 41) were only identified in SPME isolates; most of them had lower boiling points. Meanwhile, eight odorants (20, 29, 31, 33, 35, 40, 47 and 53) were only identified in SE-SAFE isolates, and they had higher boiling points. The number of odorants identified in C1, C2, C3, J1, J2 and J3 were 44, 45, 43, 40, 45 and 44, respectively; there were 33 compounds in common for the six CSSs.

Ten ester compounds (2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 28, 33, 41 and 53) were detected as odor-active compounds in six CSSs. Of the 10 ester compounds, nine esters were ethyl esters. All of them had been identified as volatile compounds in Chinese SS [9,12], Japanese SS [7], Thai SS [13] or Korean SS [14,15]; most of them had also been identified as odor-active compounds in SS; for example, ethyl propanoate, ethyl 2-methylpropanoate, ethyl butanoate, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, ethyl 3-methylbutanoate and ethyl phenylacetate had been found in Japanese SS as aroma-active compounds [7,16]; ethyl acetate and ethyl propanoate had been identified as odorants in Chinese SS [8]. However, as odor-active compounds in SS, γ-dodecalactone and ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate (EHMP) had not been reported. As SS volatiles, γ-dodecalactone was only identified in SS manufactured using Bacillus species and fused yeast [15], and EHMP only in Chinese SS [12] by MS. EHMP was a very important flavor compound; it occurred in fresh fruits, grape brandies, wines, etc. When this ethyl ester was mixed with C4−C10 alkanoic acids, it could enhance natural, ripe and tropical fruit flavors. It may have contributed greatly to the fruity odor of SS [17]. All of the esters identified were thought to be a result of two pathways. The first was the metabolism of yeasts. In the production process of SS, a variety of microorganisms, including yeast, lactic acid bacteria, Aspergillus oryzae, etc., were used. During SS fermentation, some esters were formed enzymatically through the metabolism of yeasts. The second pathway was the reaction of alkanol with organic acid during sterilization and storage; because the reaction was non-enzymatic catalysis, the reaction rate was slow, and the number of esters formed was less. The production of esters depended on many factors, such as aeration, concentrations of organic acids, alcohols and their precursors, etc. [18].

Nine carboxylic acids (23, 29, 31, 35, 37, 40, 42, 43 and 55), including four linear-chain carboxylic acids, four branched-chain carboxylic acids and one aromatic acid, were identified as odorants in six CSSs; acetic acid, butanoic acid, 3-methylbutanoic acid and 3-methylpentanoic acid were the common substances in six samples. All of these organic acids have been reported as volatiles and odor-active compounds of GSS in the published literature [4,9,10,14], and they were formed as microorganism metabolic products. For example, the metabolism of lactic acid bacteria led to the production of acetic acid, propionic acid, butanoic acid, etc. [19]. The precursors of 2-methylpropionic acid, 3-methylbutanoic acid and phenylacetic acid were valine, leucine and phenylalanine, respectively; these acids could be produced as yeast metabolic products by transamination and decarboxylation oxidation [20].

Nine pyrazines (16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 25, 26, 27 and 34) were also detected as flavor compounds in six CSSs; among them, neither 3-methyl-2-isobutylpyrazine (27) nor 2-acetylpyrazine (34) had been identified in GSS as volatiles and odor-active compounds. 3-methyl-2-isobutylpyrazine was only detected in the C2 sample, and 2-acetylpyrazine was found in six samples. These pyrazine compounds could be formed by three pathways. Firstly, they might originate from the raw materials of SS, including roasted wheat and wheat bran, which contained pyrazine compounds, such as 2-methylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-5-methylpyrazine, etc. [21,22]. Secondly, they were formed by a Maillard reaction during processing; their precursors were α-amino acids, carbohydrates, and α-dicarbonyl compounds. Soybean was an important material for producing SS; it contained oil and 18 free α-amino acids [23]. Soybean was roasted under heating before being used; oil in soybean could yield α-dicarbonyl compounds upon oxidation [24]; the wheat contained carbohydrates. These substances were conducive to the Maillard reaction. Thirdly, some pyrazines were among the microbial metabolic products; for example, under the same fermentation conditions, some pyrazines, including 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-5-methylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine and 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyraizine, were identified as volatile constituents of the solid-state fermentation product of bacteria, but they were not detected in the solid-state fermentation product of yeast [25]. Tetramethylpyrazine could be synthesized by Bacillus subtilis through the multi-step bioconversion of glucose to acetoin as a precursor [26].

Seven aldehydes (3, 12, 14, 21, 32, 36 and 54) were identified as odor-active compounds. 2(3)-methylbutanal and benzeneacetaldehyde belonged to Strecker aldehyde. Not only could they be formed through the Strecker degradation of isoleucine (or leucine) and phenylalanine, but also were derived from the corresponding amino acid catabolism by the Ehrlich pathway [20]. Hexanal, octanal, nonanal and (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal were lipid-derived compounds. Soybean seeds contained more than 20% soybean oil, which contained monounsaturated and polysaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, etc. [27]. These four aliphatic aldehydes could be derived from unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) through an oxidation reaction. Vanillin could be produced by microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, yeast or engineered microbial cells; its precursor was ferulic acid, present in the cell wall of wheat (6.6 g/kg), which was one of the materials of SS, or lignin, which exists in soybeans and wheat. The bioconversion of ferulic acid into vanillin occurs in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions [28].

Seven ketones (7, 9, 15, 44, 47, 49 and 50) were identified as odor-active compounds; all of them have been found in GSS. There were two main pathways for the formation of 2,3-butanedione and 2,3-pentanedione. The first was that they were generated during the Maillard reaction. 2,3-butanedione was formed through the sugar degradation pathway, and its precursor was glucose. 2,3-pentanedione was produced by the sugar degradation pathway and through the further interaction of sugar degradation products with amino acids, and its precursors were glucose and L-alanine [29]. The second pathway was yeast fermentation. 2,3-butanedione was formed by decomposition of the α-acetolactic acid synthesized by yeast, and 2,3-pentanedione from α-aceto-α-hydroxybutyric acid [30]. 1-octen-3-one, belonging to the lipid-derived compound, was formed via the autoxidation of UFAs [31]. The formation of both methylcyclopentenolone and maltol were associated with the Maillard reaction. Methylcyclopentenolone has been identified in volatile compounds of the glucose-tyrosine model system and the glucose-histidine model system [32], and maltol has been formed directly from the Amadori product which was the intermediate of the Maillard reaction [33]. Both DMHF and HEMF could be produced not only by the Maillard reaction but also could be biosynthesized by yeasts [2].

There were five alcohols (4, 13, 30, 38 and 46) identified as odor-active compounds. Ethanol, 3-methylbutanol and phenethyl alcohol were the metabolites of yeast; ethanol was formed by the EMP pathway and both 3-methylbutanol and phenethyl alcohol were derived from amino acid catabolism via the Ehrlich pathway [20]. 2-furanmethanol was a known thermal degradation product of ribose during the Maillard reaction. Linalool was identified in Japanese CSS, though not in Chinese CSS. It might come from the kombu, which is only used in Japanese CSS, because some kombu contains linalool [34].

Four phenols (45, 48, 51 and 52) were detected as aroma-active compounds; they could be formed by two pathways. Firstly, they were synthesized by different yeasts from some phenolic acids present in materials used for manufacturing SS, for example, 4-ethylphenol from p-coumaric acid and 4-ethylguaiacol from ferulic acid [35]. Secondly, they were produced by lignin pyrolysis; for instance, guaiacol and 2,6-dimethoxyphenol could be obtained from coconut shell pyrolysis [36]. Before wheat and soybeans were used for manufacturing SS, they were roasted. Lignin underwent pyrolysis, and some phenols were produced.

Four sulfur-containing compounds (1, 19, 24 and 39) were identified as odor-active compounds, and they were the common odorants in six CSS samples. Methanethiol was only detected in the isolate obtained via SPME; because its boiling point was about 6 °C, it was removed easily when the isolate obtained by solvent extraction was concentrated to recover the solvent. It arose from the degradation of methionine or cysteine derivatives. Dimethyl trisulfide came from the oxidation of methanethiol. Methional was a Strecker aldehyde, and it could originate from Strecker or microbiological degradation of methionine. Methionol was formed through the decarboxlation of 4-methylthio-2-oxobutyric acid, which was transamination product of methionine [20,37]. These four sulfur-containing compounds have been found in GSS.

3.3. The FD Factor of Odor-Active Compounds in Six CSSs

To screen more important odor-active compounds from 55 odorants identified in six CSSs, their FD factors were measured via GC-O, combined with AEDA. The results obtained are listed in Table 2.

Table 2.

FD factors of odor-active compounds in six CSS samples.

No. Compounds FD Factor a
Chinese CSS Samples Japanese CSS Samples
C1 C2 C3 J1 J2 J3
SAFE SPME SAFE SPME SAFE SPME SAFE SPME SAFE SPME SAFE SPME
1 methanethiol - 10 - 50 - 10 - 50 - 50 - 5
2 ethyl acetate - - - - - - - - - - 128 1
3 2(3)-methylbutanal 64 10 32 1 64 5 64 100 32 25 256 10
4 ethanol - 25 - - - 25 - - - 25 - 5
5 ethyl propanoate - - - - - - - 1 - 5 - -
6 ethyl 2-methylpropanoate 2 100 - 1 - 10 - 10 - 25 - 10
7 2,3-butanedione 64 5 16 50 32 1 16 25 32 10 32 5
8 ethyl butanoate - 200 - 5 16 50 32 - 32 1 4 1
9 2,3-pentanedione - - - - 16 - - 1 - 5 4 -
10 ethyl 2-methylbutanoate 256 100 - 25 128 50 - 10 - 50 - 50
11 ethyl 3-methylbutanoate 512 - 8 - 128 - 16 10 8 50 32 50
12 hexanal - - - - - - - 5 - 5 - 1
13 3-methylbutanol 32 1 4 5 2 5 1 - 32 5 32 5
14 octanal 32 1 32 10 32 10 4 1 4 10 64 -
15 1-octen-3-one 32 25 8 100 32 25 512 10 32 25 512 5
16 2,5-dimethylpyrazine - - - - - - 1 10 4 5 4 10
17 2,6-dimethylpyrazine 1 - 1 - 2 - - - 16 - 2 5
18 2-ethylpyrazine - 5 128 10 256 10 32 1 256 25 256 1
19 dimethyl trisulfide 64 400 64 50 64 50 256 200 64 50 1024 10
20 2-ethyl-5-methylpyrazine - - 4 - - - - - - - - -
21 nonanal - - - 10 1 - - - 2 - - -
22 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine 64 5 64 100 128 10 32 1 32 - 32 1
23 acetic acid 8 5 2 5 4 25 2 - 4 25 8 10
24 methional 4096 800 512 800 256 800 4096 800 4096 800 4096 800
25 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine 1024 100 512 600 1024 400 256 100 256 200 512 1
26 2,3-diethyl-5-methylpyrazine - 100 256 - - 200 - - - - - -
27 3-methyl-2-isobutylpyrazine - - - 5 - - - - - - - -
28 ethyl 2-hydroxy- 4-methylpentanoate 2048 400 16 50 32 5 - - - - - -
29 propionic acid 2 - - - - - - - - - - -
30 linalool - - - - - - 1 5 4 1 - 1
31 2-methylpropionic acid 4 - 2 - 8 - - - - - - -
32 (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 10 2 10 16 -
33 ethyl 3-acetylpropionate 8 - - - - - - - - - - -
34 2-acetylpyrazine 32 800 256 50 32 800 32 100 32 50 8 200
35 butanoic acid 16 - 16 - 512 - 16 - 4 - 16 -
36 benzeneacetaldehyde 1024 10 256 25 512 50 256 200 512 200 1024 200
37 3-methylbutanoic acid 4096 25 4096 200 4096 400 4096 100 4096 100 4096 10
38 2-furanmethanol 64 50 4 100 64 400 4 400 4 100 8 400
39 methionol 512 25 128 10 256 10 64 200 128 1 1024 10
40 pentanoic acid - - 16 - - - - - 4 - - -
41 ethyl phenylacetate - 10 - - - - - - - 1 - 1
42 3-methylpentanoic acid 32 1 256 5 8 5 8 1 8 10 8 1
43 4-methylpentanoic acid 32 5 8 5 - - 8 1 4 - 4 1
44 methylcyclopentenolone 2 - 2 - 2 - 64 - - - 256 -
45 guaiacol 2048 800 1024 800 4096 800 1024 800 1024 800 2048 800
46 phenethyl alcohol 4096 800 2048 800 4096 400 512 100 4096 200 4096 800
47 maltol 1024 - 32 - 32 - 16 - 32 - 32 -
48 4-ethylguaiacol 4096 800 4096 800 4096 800 4096 800 4096 800 4096 800
49 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone 4096 800 4096 200 4096 800 4096 800 4096 800 4096 800
50 5-ethyl-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-3(2H)-furanone 4096 800 1024 5 1024 5 4096 800 4096 800 4096 800
51 4-ethylphenol 64 400 8 50 32 200 4 10 16 50 32 100
52 2,6-dimethoxyphenol 512 - 512 1 1024 50 256 - 512 - 512 -
53 γ-dodecalactone - - 2 - 2 - - - - - - -
54 vanillin 256 1 1024 - 32 5 256 25 - 50 128 400
55 phenylacetic acid 1024 1 512 - 512 - - - 64 - 128 -

a FD factor, flavor dilution factor, determined on a DB-Wax column. -means the compound is not identified in the isolate.

Based on Table 2, it can be seen that 4-ethylguaiacol (burnt, smoky) had the highest FD factor of all the CSS isolates obtained by both SE-SAFE (FD factor = 4096) and SPME (FD factor = 800). Both 3-methylbutanoic acid (sweaty, cheese-like) and DMHF (caramel-like) possessed the highest FD factor (4096) among all the extracts obtained by SE-SAFE; both methional (cooked potato) and guaiacol (burnt, smoky) possessed the highest FD factor (800) among all the isolates obtained by SPME. Aside from the compounds mentioned above, some odor-active substances, such as 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyraizine (roasty, earthy), benzeneacetaldehyde (honey-like), phenethyl alcohol (floral), HEMF (caramel-like), 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (burnt, smoky), etc., also had higher FD factors in either SE-SAFE extracts or SPME isolates. These compounds might cause the six CSS samples to possess some common odor characteristics. There were also some odorants which had the highest FD factor only in one sample. For example, dimethyl trisulfide had a higher FD factor (sulfur/cabbage, FD factor = 1024) only in J3, EHMP (fruity, FD factor = 2048) only in C1, methionol (cooked potato, FD factor = 1024) only in J3, maltol (caramel-like, FD factor = 1024) only in C1, vanillin (vanilla, FD factor = 1024) only in C2 and phenylacetic acid (honey, FD factor = 1024) only in C1. These odorants resulted in the odor differences among the six CSSs. Most of the RIs of these compounds with higher FD factors on the DB-Wax column were more than 1400. They were likely to have contributed the most to the overall aroma profile of CSS.

3.4. Quantitation of the Odor-Active Compounds with FD Factors ≥32 or 50

To calculate OAVs, a total of 28 compounds with FD factors ≥32 (in SE-SAFE isolates) or ≥25 (in SPME isolates) were quantitated by constructing standard curves; the results gained are shown in Table 3 and Table 4.

Table 3.

Standard curves of 28 odor-active compounds quantitated in six CSS samples.

No. Compound Quantified Ion Standard Curves R2
3 2-methylbutanal 57 y = 0.0069x + 1.4039 0.999
3 3-methylbutanal 71 y = 0.0027x + 1.0098 0.996
6 ethyl 2-methylpropanoate 71 y = 0.1264x + 0.0185 0.998
8 ethyl butanoate 71 y = 0.6002x−0.0036 0.995
10 ethyl 2-methylbutanoate 102 y = 0.7420x−0.0164 0.995
11 ethyl 3-methylbutanoate 88 y = 0.5337x−0.0065 0.994
13 3-methylbutanol 55 y = 0.0016x−0.0079 0.999
14 octanal 84 y = 0.3571x + 0.0137 0.991
19 dimethyl trisulfide 126 y = 1.0809x−0.1085 0.998
22 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine 122 y = 0.0449x−0.6999 0.995
23 acetic acid 60 y = 0.0002x−1.0603 0.993
24 methional 48 y = 0.0006x + 0.0061 0.997
25 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine 135 y = 0.2299x−0.1852 0.994
28 ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate 69 y = 0.0425x−0.1146 0.993
35 butanoic acid 60 y = 0.0017x−0.6759 0.990
36 benzeneacetaldehyde 91 y = 0.0299x−1.0006 0.998
37 3-methylbutanoic acid 73 y = 0.0034x−0.8599 0.994
38 2-furanmethanol 98 y = 0.0005x + 0.01316 0.994
39 methionol 106 y =0.0003x + 0.0056 0.999
45 guaiacol 109 y = 0.0618x + 0.0339 0.999
46 phenethyl alcohol 91 y = 0.0297x−0.0239 0.992
47 maltol 126 y = 0.4418x−0.4070 0.998
48 4-ethylguaiacol 137 y = 0.4116x + 0.2833 0.994
49 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone 128 y = 0.1502x + 0.4608 0.992
50 5-ethyl-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-3(2H)-furanone 125 y = 0.0780x + 0.2168 0.991
51 4-ethylphenol 107 y = 0.1818x−0.0239 0.997
52 2,6-dimethoxyphenol 154 y = 0.0016x−0.0140 0.998
55 phenylacetic acid 91 y = 0.4581x + 1.6573 0.998

Table 4.

Concentrations of 28 odor-active compounds in six CSS samples.

No. Compound Conc. (μg/L) a
Chinese CSS Samples Japanese CSS Samples
C1 C2 C3 J1 J2 J3
carboxylic acids
23 acetic acid 207266 ± 16707 60588 ± 773 215125 ± 17321 57948 ± 4717 143403 ± 5401 406726 ± 4688
35 butanoic acid 2844 ± 23 2917 ± 43 17069 ± 1522 2712 ± 8 - 2842 ± 160
37 3-methylbutanoic acid 3037 ± 289 2190 ± 64 14999 ± 971 1922 ± 37 2072 ± 37 3028 ± 215
55 phenylacetic acid 6335 ± 507 2336 ± 118 20620 ± 434 129 ± 16 731 ± 90 1340 ± 49
Total 219482 ± 17526 68031 ± 998 267813 ± 20248 62711 ± 4778 146206 ± 5528 413936 ± 5112
alcohols
13 3-methylbutanol 16360 ± 224 3424 ± 124 2090 ± 74 437 ± 27 3256 ± 114 18144 ± 1296
38 2-furanmethanol 19735 ± 1162 6839 ± 29 40182 ± 4350 833 ± 69 6014 ± 381 16780 ± 1319
46 phenethyl alcohol 5089 ± 337 1627 ± 65 3656 ± 232 424 ± 23 2328 ± 240 5955 ± 631
Total 41184 ± 1723 11890 ± 218 45928 ± 4656 1694 ± 119 11598 ± 735 40879 ± 3246
ketones
47 maltol 18116 ± 942 6672 ± 68 7265 ± 803 1428 ± 127 3711 ± 392 6173 ± 107
49 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone 2352 ± 117 8904 ± 91 13676 ± 50 223 ± 5 460 ± 80 576 ± 40
50 5-ethyl-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-3(2H)-furanone 40984 ± 1673 1774 ± 46 1091 ± 116 2987 ± 30 9009 ± 541 28771 ± 752
Total 61452 ± 2732 17350 ± 205 22032 ± 969 4638 ± 162 13180 ± 1013 35520 ± 899
sulfur-containing compounds
19 dimethyl trisulfide 0.46 ± 0.03 0.31 ± 0.01 0.27 ± 0.01 2.20 ± 0.02 0.47 ± 0.01 3.14 ± 0.28
24 methional 2652 ± 166 154 ± 6 143 ± 16 1377 ± 22 1663 ± 82 4801 ± 392
39 methionol 9907 ± 618 1875 ± 222 3448 ± 298 731 ± 71 2371 ± 260 20971 ± 1186
Total 12559 ± 784 2029 ± 228 3591 ± 314 2110 ± 93 4034 ± 342 25775 ± 1578
aldehydes
3 2-methylbutanal 3545 ± 87 86 ± 7 1242 ± 105 865 ± 16 1291 ± 43 10337 ± 1005
3 3-methylbutanal 1739 ± 97 189 ± 15 785 ± 16 1256 ± 117 1234 ± 85 10571 ± 511
14 octanal 0.55 ± 0.05 0.54 ± 0.04 0.48 ± 0.02 0.20 ± 0.01 0.31 ± 0.01 0.96 ± 0.05
36 benzeneacetaldehyde 1206 ± 83 317 ± 28 981 ± 74 548 ± 27 704 ± 28 4459 ± 65
Total 6491 ± 267 593 ± 50 3008 ± 195 2669 ± 160 3229 ± 156 25368 ± 1581
phenols
45 guaiacol 245 ± 19 146 ± 4 1249 ± 37 82.62 ± 2.62 101 ± 4 293 ± 13
48 4-ethylguaiacol 599 ± 8 109 ± 10 305 ± 7 95.10 ± 0.18 42.09 ± 2.02 81.80 ± 5.92
51 4-ethylphenol 388 ± 25 16.14 ± 0.38 338±15 12.01 ± 0.96 20.03 ± 1.39 37.53 ± 1.04
52 2,6-dimethoxyphenol 518 ± 16 500 ± 52 2992 ± 56 218 ± 11 559 ± 52 521 ± 35
Total 1750 ± 68 771 ± 66 4884 ± 115 408 ± 15 722 ± 59 933 ± 55
pyrazines
22 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine 144 ± 10 198 ± 2 540 ± 16 123 ± 11 113 ± 1 157 ± 8
25 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine 32.98 ± 1.53 6.53 ± 0.52 42.02 ± 3.63 1.08 ± 0.03 2.03 ± 0.12 15.19 ± 0.78
Total 177 ± 12 205 ± 3 582 ± 20 124 ± 11 115 ± 1 172 ± 9
esters
6 ethyl 2-methylpropanoate 2.66 ± 0.07 - 0.35 ± 0.02 - 1.34 ± 0.10 -
8 ethyl butanoate 0.33 ± 0.01 0.09 ± 0.01 0.94 ± 0.06 0.07 ± 0.01 0.11 ± 0.01 0.42 ± 0.04
10 ethyl 2-methylbutanoate 0.52 ± 0.05 - 0.15 ± 0.00 0.07 ± 0.00 0.44 ± 0.04 0.49 ± 0.04
11 ethyl 3-methylbutanoate 0.66 ± 0.00 - 0.27 ± 0.02 0.05 ± 0.00 0.53 ± 0.03 0.77 ± 0.06
28 ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate 54.52 ± 4.88 19.23 ± 0.07 28.62 ± 1.71 18.86 ± 0.26 22.47 ± 0.69 37.37 ± 1.09
Total 58.69 ± 5.01 19.32 ± 0.08 30.33 ± 1.81 19.05 ± 0.27 24.89 ± 0.87 39.05 ± 1.23
All total 343154 ± 23117 100888 ± 1768 347868 ± 26519 74373 ± 5338 179109 ± 7835 542622 ± 12481

a Average concentrations of triplicate experiments.

Of the 28 odor-active compounds, acetic acid had the highest concentration (57,948–406,726 μg/L) in all CSSs; the result was similar to Wang’s data relating to odorants in GSS [10]. Four odorants, including ethyl butanoate, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, ethyl 3-methylbutanoate and octanal, had lower concentrations in six CSSs, and their values were less than 1 μg/L.

The odorants quantitated could be grouped into eight categories according to their chemical structures, that is, alcohols, carboxylic acids, esters, aldehydes, ketones, phenols, pyrazines and sulfur-containing compounds. Among these eight categories, the total concentrations of carboxylic acids in all of six CSSs were higher than those of the other seven categories, and the values ranged from 62,711 μg/L to 413,936 μg/L. The value of the total concentrations of all the quantitated odorants in J3 (542,622 μg/L) was the highest, and that in J1 (74,373 μg/L) was the lowest.

Of the six CSSs, the total concentrations of ketones (61,452 μg/L) and esters (58.69 μg/L) were the highest in C1; those of alcohols (45,928 μg/L), phenols (4884 μg/L) and pyrazines (582 μg/L) were the highest in C3; and carboxylic acids (413,936 μg/L), sulfur-containing compounds (25,775 μg/L) and aldehydes (25,368 μg/L) had their highest concentrations in J3.

C2 contained the lowest concentrations of both sulfur-containing compounds (2029 μg/L) and aldehydes (593 μg/L). In J1, the concentrations of carboxylic acids (62,711 μg/L), alcohols (1694 μg/L), ketones (4638 μg/L), phenols (408 μg/L) and esters (19.05 μg/L) were the lowest among the six samples. The lowest concentration of pyrazines (115 μg/L) was found in J2. These results showed that there were great differences in the concentrations of odor-active compounds among the six samples.

3.5. OAVs of Odor-Active Compounds in Six CSSs

To evaluate further the contributions of the 28 odor-active compounds to the aromas of the six CSSs and to screen for the key odorants, their OAVs were calculated based on their obtained concentrations and odor detection thresholds in water, and the results are shown in Table 5.

Table 5.

OAVs of 28 aroma compounds in six CSS samples.

No. Compound DOT
(μg/L)
OAV f
Chinese CSS Samples Japanese CSS Samples
C1 C2 C3 J1 J2 J3
24 methional 0.43 a 6166 359 332 3202 3867 11165
3 3-methylbutanal 0.50 a 3479 379 1570 2512 2468 21142
3 2-methylbutanal 1.5 a 2363 58 828 576 861 6891
50 5-ethyl-4-hydroxy-2-methyl-3(2H)-furanone 20 b 2049 89 55 149 450 1439
45 guaiacol 0.84 a 292 174 1487 98 120 349
39 methionol 36 a 275 52 96 20 66 583
36 benzeneacetaldehyde 5.2 c 232 61 189 105 135 858
25 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine 0.16 b 206 41 263 7 13 95
48 4-ethylguaiacol 4.4 a 136 25 69 22 10 19
13 3-methylbutanol 220 a 74 16 9 2 15 82
49 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone 40 a 59 223 342 6 11 14
19 dimethyl trisulfide 0.0099 a 46 31 27 222 47 317
10 ethyl 2-methylbutanoate 0.013 a 40 - 12 5 34 38
46 phenethyl alcohol 140 a 36 12 26 3 17 43
51 4-ethylphenol 13 a 30 1 26 1 2 3
6 ethyl 2-methylpropanoate 0.089 a 30 - 4 - 15 -
11 ethyl 3-methylbutanoate 0.023 a 29 - 12 2 23 34
52 2,6-dimethoxyphenol 29 c 18 17 103 8 19 18
38 2-furanmethanol 1900 d 10 4 21 <1 3 9
47 maltol 2500 d 7 3 3 1 2 3
22 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine 23 d 6 9 24 5 5 7
37 3-methylbutanoic acid 490 a 6 4 31 4 4 6
23 acetic acid 99000 a 2 1 2 1 1 4
35 butanoic acid 2400 a 1 1 7 1 <1 1
55 phenylacetic acid 6100 a 1 <1 3 <1 <1 <1
28 ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate 55 e 1 <1 1 <1 <1 1
8 ethyl butanoate 0.76 a <1 <1 1 <1 <1 1
14 octanal 3.4 a <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1

a Odor thresholds in water according to Czerny et al. [38]. b Odor thresholds in water according to Semmelroch and Grosch [39].c Odor thresholds in water according to Mall and Schieberle [40]. d Odor thresholds in water according to Buttery et al. [41]. e Odor thresholds in water according to Lytra et al. [17]. f Odor activity value (ratio of the concentration to the odor threshold).

Of the 28 odor-active compounds, 27 odorants in some CSSs yielded OAVs ≥ 1, and their OAVs were vastly different. Only octanal had an OAV < 1 in all six CSSs; it did not contribute to the odors. The number of odorants with OAVs ≥1 in C1, C2, C3, J1, J2 and J3 was 26, 21, 27, 22, 23 and 25, respectively. In most samples, methional, 3-methylbutanal, 2-methylbutanal, HEMF, guaiacol and benzeneacetaldehyde had higher OAVs than the other odor-active compounds; they contributed the most to the overall odor profile and imparted cooked potato, malty, caramel-like, smoky and honey-like odors to the six CSSs, and these odors also comprise the characteristic notes of GSS. In the six samples, there were much bigger differences among the OAVs of methionol (OAVs = 20–583), 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine (OAVs = 7–263), 4-ethylguaiacol (OAVs = 10–136), 3-methylbutanol (OAVs = 2–74), DMHF (OAVs = 6–342), dimethyl trisulfide (OAVs = 31–317), 4-ethylphenol (OAVs = 1–30) and ethyl 3-methylbutanoate (OAVs = 2–34); these odorants caused the six CSSs to have some different notes. The OAVs of the other odorants were close; these odorants had similar contributions to the odors of six CSSs.

According to the OAV results, 27 odorants identified in different CSSs were further screened as key odorants contributing to the characteristic aroma of CSS. Except for EHMP, the other odor-active compounds had been identified as key odorants of GSS. Therefore, according to the results obtained, it was concluded that the key odorants of CSS should be same as those of GSS. The question of whether CSSs contain more nutritional components requires further study.

4. Conclusions

In summary, this study provides the comprehensive determination of the key odorants of six CSSs. A total of 55 aroma-active compounds were positively identified by comparing their MS data, RIs and odor characteristics with those of standard compounds, and their FD factors were measured using GC-O, coupled with AEDA. Twenty-seven volatile compounds with OAVs ≥ 1 were furtherly screened as key odorants contributing to the characteristic aroma profile of six CSSs by means of quantitative analyses combined with the calculation of OAVs. The results show that the key odorants in CSS were the same as those in GSS. Further research should focus on how to quantitate the odorants with higher FD factors and without responses to MS detection, as well as performing aroma reconstitution experiments and omission tests to further confirm the results and investigating if there are differences between the nutrients of CSS and GSS.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, J.H., Y.L. and B.S.; methodology, J.H., H.C. and Y.L.; investigation, J.H. and H.C.; data curation, J.H., H.C. and Z.Z.; validation, J.H., H.C. and B.L.; supervision, H.C. and B.S.; project administration, H.C., Y.L. and B.S.; writing—original draft preparation, Y.L.; writing—review and editing, H.C. and Y.L.; software, Z.Z. and B.L.; funding acquisition, H.C., Y.L. and B.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This work was financially supported by National Key Research & Development Program of China (No. 2017YFD0400501 and 2018YFD04006).

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

The data shown in this study are contained within the article.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Footnotes

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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Associated Data

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Data Availability Statement

The data shown in this study are contained within the article.


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