Work

Salt-induced flavor metamorphosis in plums: A GC-IMS comparative study unraveling cultivar-dependent aroma evolution

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigated flavor evolution in four plum varieties, namely ‘Tuogu’ plum (TG), ‘Bingtang’ plum (BT), ‘Qilin’ plum (QL) and ‘Pingguo’ plum (PG) during salting using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS). We identified 57 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in fresh/salted fruits, with eight key VOCs (heptanal, propanal, 3-methylbutanal, etc.) contributing apple, grassy, and fruity notes through ROAV analysis. Fresh TG exhibited dominant grassy/fruity flavors from heptanal and hexanal, while BT/QL/PG showed stronger apple notes from 3-methylbutyraldehyde. Salting reduced aldehydes but increased esters/alkenes/alcohols, with eight VOCs showing significant changes. Notably, S-TG preserved original aromas, whereas S-PG underwent flavor remodeling. Metabolic pathway modulation drove the transition from fresh grassy to complex salted-fruity profiles, providing critical insights for plum processing optimization. • The volatile compounds of four different varieties of plums were analyzed by GC-IMS. • A total of 57 flavor compounds were identified, among which 8 were key flavor substances. • The salting process increased key flavor compounds, resulting in a complex fruity aroma. • The flavor compounds of four varieties of plums showed significant differences before and after salting.

Source: Food Chemistry X

DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2025.103053