Analysis of Volatile Compounds and Identification of Characteristic Aroma Components of <i>Toona sinensis</i> (A. Juss.) Roem. Using GC-MS and GC-O

Abstract

In this study, volatile compounds present in Toona sinensis (A. Juss.) Roem (TS) were investigated and their characteristic aromatic components were identified using Headspace Solid-phase Microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Gas Chromatography-Olfactometry (GC-O). The optimum conditions for extracting the volatiles from TS were achieved with the experimental parameters including the use of a 65 μm polydimethylsiloxane/divinyl benzene (PDMS/DVB) fibre, an extraction temperature of 40℃ and an extraction time of 30 min. Under these conditions, 56 volatile compounds were separated and 53 were identified by GC-MS. Among them, 21 sulfide compounds (42.146%) and 27 terpenes（55.984%) were found to be the major components. The sample was analyzed by GC-O and 26 elutes were sniffed and their sensory descriptions evaluated by an odor panelists. Analysis of the data indicated, two compounds cis and trans isomers of 2-Mercapto-3,4-dimethyl-2,3-dihydrothiophene were major contributors to the characteristic aroma of TS.