In the selection of apple (Malus domestica Borkh) fruits, consumers predominantly use visual and organoleptic responses, such as aroma and texture, as quality/preference markers. Previous studies profiling the sensory properties and aroma profiles of apple varieties have provided a lexicon describing important attributes within the modalities of aroma, texture, and flavour. The range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by four apple cultivars was assessed by thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). To facilitate automated dynamic headspace extraction of the VOCs from bulk samples, a small multichamber thermal extraction system was used. Forty compounds were detected and putatively identified by mass spectral comparison with NIST libraries. Eight compounds were not previously identified in apples. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PerMANOVA) and canonical analysis of principal coordinates (CAP) done on the whole volatile organic compound profiles show separation of the four cultivars. The use of random forest classification enabled the determination of a minimum set of fifteen potential VOC markers that successfully differentiate the cultivars under study. Trends across samples, VOCs, and sensory evaluation are revealed. The association between 4-hexen-1-ol acetate with texture/consistency, and crispiness, and correlation of 2-methylbut-2-en-1-yl acetate with juiciness and acidity is shown for the first time. These sensory correlations indicate that the compounds determined by this experiment could be used as objective markers for the consumer appreciation of fresh apples, enabling the optimum conditions for processing and storage of individual cultivars to be identified without recourse to expensive sensory panels in every case. Such tests could also be used as part of routine quality control by the producer and retailer, reducing costs and eliminating waste due to batches of inferior product.

中文翻译：

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苹果风味分析：使用挥发性有机化合物解决品种差异以及消费者欣赏与香气分析之间的相关性

在选择苹果 (Malusdomestica Borkh) 水果时，消费者主要使用视觉和感官反应，如香气和质地，作为质量/偏好标记。先前对苹果品种的感官特性和香气特征进行分析的研究提供了一个词汇，描述了香气、质地和风味模式中的重要属性。四种苹果品种产生的挥发性有机化合物 (VOC) 的范围通过热解吸-气相色谱-质谱 (TD-GC-MS) 进行评估。为了促进从大量样品中自动动态顶空提取 VOC，使用了小型多室热提取系统。通过与 NIST 库的质谱比较，检测到并推定鉴定了 40 种化合物。之前未在苹果中鉴定出八种化合物。对整个挥发性有机化合物谱进行的置换多元方差分析 (PerMANOVA) 和主坐标规范分析 (CAP) 显示四个品种的分离。随机森林分类的​​使用能够确定至少 15 个潜在的 VOC 标记，这些标记可以成功区分所研究的栽培品种。揭示了样品、VOC 和感官评估的趋势。首次显示了 4-hexen-1-ol 醋酸盐与质地/稠度和脆度之间的关联，以及 2-methylbut-2-en-1-yl 醋酸盐与多汁性和酸度的相关性。这些感官相关性表明，本实验测定的化合物可作为消费者对新鲜苹果鉴赏的客观标志物，在每种情况下，无需借助昂贵的感官小组，即可确定单个栽培品种的最佳加工和储存条件。此类测试还可以用作生产商和零售商常规质量控制的一部分，从而降低成本并消除由于批次劣质产品造成的浪费。