Flavor diversity characterization of three loquat cultivars via flavoromics combined with E-nose and GC × GC-TOF-MS.

Authors

Guili Huang, Yu Shi, Xinyao Quan, Qianshuo Shao, Su Yan, Siyao Sui, Jiajia Ma, Jiayu Qian, Weiming Chai, Yuning Wang

Published in

Food chemistry: X. Volume 38. Pages 104235. Epub Jul 21, 2026.

Abstract

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are critical determinants of loquat flavor quality and cultivar differentiation, but comprehensive characterization and rapid detection remain challenging. This study aimed to establish a robust approach for discriminating three loquat cultivars and evaluating their flavor quality by integrating electronic nose (E-nose) technology and Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (GC × GC-TOF-MS). GC × GC-TOF-MS was used for VOC profiling, while E-nose was applied for rapid fragrance characterization, with orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and correlation analysis performed to identify discriminatory compounds and sensor-VOC relationships. GC × GC-TOF-MS identified over 2000 volatile compounds across three loquat cultivars. OPLS-DA further screened 22 discriminatory VOCs with variable importance in projection (VIP) values >1, which contributed to aroma hierarchy shifts among cultivars. E-nose sensors W1W and W1S showed high sensitivity to floral-scent-related VOCs, serving as key factors for distinguishing fragrance quality. Notably, E-nose detection results exhibited good consistency with GC × GC-TOF-MS data, and W1W/W1S sensors were significantly positively correlated with key VOCs. These findings demonstrate that the integration of E-nose and GC × GC-TOF-MS offers complementary advantages for comprehensive VOC characterization and cultivar discrimination. The established approach provides a scientific basis for optimizing loquat quality standards by incorporating VOC-driven biochemical authenticity and a potential efficient method for rapid, non-destructive assessment of postharvest flavor quality in loquat cultivars. These results facilitate quality control and cultivar authentication in the fruit industry.

PMID:
42548878
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 04 Aug 2026.

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