The objective of this study was to characterize the flavor of a premium Florida tomato variety that has significant potential for producing a high quality processed juice product. A high-quality Florida plum tomato variety (Garden Gem), and a typical grocery-store plum tomato variety (Roma) were thermally processed into tomato juices without any additives. The 2 pilot products and a popular commercially available tomato juice (low sodium with sugar and flavor added) were compared using sensory evaluation and instrumental analysis. Flavor compounds in these products were identified using dynamic headspace purge and trap-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (PT-GC-MS) by MS library match and retention index and were semi-quantitated using internal standards. Color, uniformity, overall liking, tomato flavor, sweetness and texture were rated using a hedonic scale. Analysis of variance, correlation and principal component analysis were used to analyze both sensory and flavor data. Among the 3 products, Garden Gem juice was rated significantly (P < 0.05) higher for overall liking, tomato flavor, and sweetness by the 119 consumer panelists in both seasons. Garden Gem juice was found to contain higher levels of 3 sweet/fruity related aroma compounds: 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, linalool, and β-ionone. The commercial tomato juice contained a high level of the Maillard reaction-related notes furfural, dimethyl sulfide, and the least amount of green-related notes (hexanal, E-2-hexenal and Z-2-heptenal). The flavor profile of the Roma tomato juice was similar to Garden Gem juice except it contained substantially lower amounts of hexanal and 2-isobutylthiazole. The compound β-ionone (fruity note) was not detected in either the commercial or Roma juice. PRACTICAL APPLICATION This proof of concept study demonstrates that high flavor quality tomatoes can be used to create better tasting processed tomato products. The study also demonstrates how sensory preference can confer a potential market advantage over existing commercial products. The Garden Gem variety has potential to add desirable flavor attributes to processed tomato products. This research may also provide insights for product developers to which flavor volatiles best reflect sensory observations for different aspects of tomato flavor.

中文翻译：

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Garden Gem 和 Roma 番茄番茄汁的感官和风味特征与商业番茄汁的比较

这项研究的目的是描述一种优质佛罗里达番茄品种的风味，该品种具有生产高质量加工果汁产品的巨大潜力。一种优质的佛罗里达李子番茄品种 (Garden Gem) 和一种典型的杂货店李子番茄品种 (Roma) 在没有任何添加剂的情况下被热加工成番茄汁。使用感官评估和仪器分析比较了 2 种试点产品和一种流行的市售番茄汁（低钠，添加糖和调味剂）。这些产品中的风味化合物使用动态顶空吹扫和捕集-气相色谱-质谱 (PT-GC-MS) 通过 MS 库匹配和保留指数进行鉴定，并使用内标进行半定量。颜色、均匀度、整体好感度、番茄味、甜度和质地是使用享乐等级评定的。方差分析、相关分析和主成分分析用于分析感官和风味数据。在这 3 款产品中，Garden Gem 果汁在两个季节的 119 名消费者小组成员的整体喜好、番茄风味和甜度方面的评分均显着提高 (P < 0.05)。Garden Gem 果汁被发现含有较高水平的 3 种甜味/果味相关香气化合物：6-甲基-5-庚烯-2-酮、芳樟醇和 β-紫罗兰酮。商业番茄汁中含有高水平的美拉德反应相关香调糠醛、二甲基硫醚和最少量的绿色相关香调（己醛、E-2-己烯醛和 Z-2-庚烯醛）。Roma 番茄汁的风味特征与 Garden Gem 汁相似，只是它所含的己醛和 2-异丁基噻唑含量显着降低。在商业或罗马果汁中均未检测到化合物 β-紫罗兰酮（果香）。实际应用 这项概念验证研究表明，高风味品质的西红柿可用于制作味道更好的加工番茄产品。该研究还展示了感官偏好如何赋予现有商业产品潜在的市场优势。Garden Gem 品种有可能为加工过的番茄产品添加理想的风味属性。这项研究还可以为产品开发人员提供见解，哪些风味挥发物最能反映番茄风味不同方面的感官观察。实际应用 这项概念验证研究表明，高风味品质的西红柿可用于制作味道更好的加工番茄产品。该研究还展示了感官偏好如何赋予现有商业产品潜在的市场优势。Garden Gem 品种有可能为加工过的番茄产品添加理想的风味属性。这项研究还可以为产品开发人员提供见解，哪些风味挥发物最能反映番茄风味不同方面的感官观察。实际应用 这项概念验证研究表明，高风味品质的西红柿可用于制作味道更好的加工番茄产品。该研究还展示了感官偏好如何赋予现有商业产品潜在的市场优势。Garden Gem 品种有可能为加工过的番茄产品添加理想的风味属性。这项研究还可以为产品开发人员提供见解，哪些风味挥发物最能反映番茄风味不同方面的感官观察。