Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. cajuputi is one of the Australian Melaleuca species commonly found in Pulau Buru (Maluku, Indonesia). Its oil, the M. cajuputi essential oil (MCEO), has been utilized as the main flavor of the Indonesian functional food, Cajuputs Candy. However, the availability of MCEO is becoming limited. On the other hand, Indonesia has many other potential MCEO sources which can be developed as flavor ingredient. Thus, it is noteworthy to explore these new MCEO sources by studying their sensory characteristics and metabolite profiles. This study was conducted to identify potential metabolites that are correlated to sensory attributes of MCEO by using the metabolomics approach. The metabolite profiles of thirteen MCEOs from different origins were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry while sensory analyses on Cajuputs Candy were conducted by difference-from-control and rate-all-that-apply tests. Sixty metabolites from the MCEO were annotated that includes 1,8-cineole, α-terpineol, caryophyllene, α-pinene, and γ-terpinene. Sensory analysis revealed cooling aftertaste and sweet taste as favorable attributes. Further analysis using Orthogonal Partial Least Square indicated that 1,8-cineole and γ-terpinene were correlated with cooling aftertaste, while 1,8-cineole and caryophyllene were also correlated with sweet taste. In contrast, linalool and nerolidol were associated with the feature of the most characteristic manufacturer's products which have unfavorable attributes such as floral, iodophor-like, metallic, and soapy attributes. The identification of these metabolites will be useful for the selection of MCEOs that can potentially be used as flavor.

白千层亚种。cajuputi是通常在Pulau Buru（印度尼西亚马鲁古）发现的澳大利亚千层属物种之一。其油，M。cajuputi精油（MCEO），已被用作印尼功能食品Cajuputs Candy的主要风味。。但是，MCEO的可用性正变得有限。另一方面，印度尼西亚还有许多其他潜在的MCEO来源，可以作为风味成分开发。因此，值得注意的是，通过研究这些新的MCEO的感官特征和代谢物谱来探索它们。通过使用代谢组学方法进行了这项研究，以鉴定与MCEO感觉属性相关的潜在代谢物。通过气相色谱-质谱法分析了来自不同来源的13个MCEO的代谢谱，同时对Cajuputs Candy进行了感官分析。通过控制差异和所有适用率测试进行。注释了来自MCEO的60种代谢物，包括1,8-桉树脑，α-萜品醇，石竹烯，α-pine烯和γ-萜品烯。感官分析显示清凉的回味和甜味是有利的属性。使用正交偏最小二乘进行的进一步分析表明，1,8-桉树脑和γ-萜品烯与凉爽的回味相关，而1,8-桉树脑和石竹烯也与甜味相关。相比之下，芳樟醇和奈洛尔多与最有特色的制造商产品的功能相关，这些产品具有不利的属性，例如花香，类碘伏，金属和肥皂性。这些代谢物的鉴定将有助于选择可能用作调味料的MCEO。