Ceratonia siliqua L. is quite popular for the sweetness of its fruit (“natural chocolate”) and the strong, persistent, characteristic odor that associates not only carob fruit, but also its traditional food products. This is due to the emission of an array of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The released odor is a complex mixture, and therefore, needs to be separated prior detected, especially when its origin varies and is engaged. Therefore, Headspace–Solid-Phase Microextraction–Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (HS–SPME–GC–MS) analysis was performed in ground carob pods from three different European countries to decode their released aroma. The method was applied to Cypriot (Kountourka, Koumpota, Tilliria), Spanish (Negra, Rojal, Matalafera) and Italian (Saccarata, Racemosa, Gibiliana) cultivars, and the released volatile species were further processed with multivariate data analysis (MDA). The chromatographic separation highlighted 54 common VOCs in the grounded carob pods; the most abundant appeared to be propanoic acid 2-methyl (isobutyric acid), acetic acid, butanoic acid, hexanoic acid, and propanoic acid 2-methyl-methyl ester. The quantitative results for acetic acid, propanoic acid 2-methyl, butanoic acid, furfural and pentanoic acid revealed their emission in the low ppb_v levels. The engage of MDA on the obtained results showed a clear differentiation of the carobs based on their geographical and botanical origin. The combination of HS–SPME–GC–MS and chemometrics contributes to the quality characterization of carobs and highlights their authenticity markers.

中文翻译：

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使用HS–SPME–GC–MS和化学计量学来解码角豆香精香气

Ceratonia siliqua L.因其水果（“天然巧克力”）的甜味和强烈，持久，特有的气味而广受欢迎，这种气味不仅与角豆果有关，而且与传统食品也有关。这是由于排放了一系列挥发性有机化合物（VOC）。释放的气味是复杂的混合物，因此，在检测到之前需要将其分离，尤其是当其来源发生变化并被吸收时。因此，在来自三个不同欧洲国家的角豆荚中进行了顶空-固相微萃取-气相色谱-质谱（HS-SPME-GC-MS）分析，以解码其释放的香气。该方法适用于塞浦路斯（Kountourka，Koumpota，Tilliria），西班牙（Negra），Rojal，Matalafera）和意大利（Saccarata，总状，Gibiliana）品种，并且所释放的挥发性物质进一步用多变量数据分析（MDA）处理。色谱分离结果表明，在接地的角豆荚中有54种常见的VOC。最丰富的是丙酸2-甲基（异丁酸），乙酸，丁酸，己酸和丙酸2-甲基-甲基酯。乙酸，2-甲基丙酸，丁酸，糠醛和戊酸的定量结果表明它们的排放量低ppb _v水平。MDA对获得的结果的参与表明，基于它们的地理和植物起源，这些角豆有明显的区别。HS–SPME–GC–MS和化学计量学的结合有助于对角豆树进行质量表征，并突出其真实性标记。