Jinhua ham is a traditional cured meat food in China. For a long time, its grade has mainly been evaluated by the human nose through the three-sticks method, which is highly subjective and is not conducive to establishing evaluation standards through odor markers. In this paper, we analyzed the well-graded Grade I–III hams provided by Jinzi Ham Co., Ltd. (Jinhua, China). Firstly, we used different extraction fibers, extraction temperatures, and extraction time to determine the optimal conditions for headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME). Then, the aroma components of Jinhua ham were analyzed by headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and OAV was calculated to screen the key aroma volatiles of three kinds of Jinhua ham. It was found that a total of 56 components were detected in the three types of ham. Among them, there are 21 kinds of key aroma volatiles. Aldehydes, alcohols, and acids are the three main components of Jinhua ham, and the content of aldehydes gradually decreases from Grade I to Grade III ham. The content of acids gradually increased, and we speculated that the increase in acid content was caused by the proliferation of microorganisms in Grade III ham. The key flavor volatiles in Grade I hams was hexanal and 2-methylbutanal. Grade I hams had a strong meat aroma, pleasant fatty, and roasted aroma without any off-flavors. In Grade II ham, the characteristic volatiles (E,E)-2,4-decadienal and ethyl isovalerate were detected. These two volatiles contribute greatly to the flavor of Grade II ham, which makes the flavor of Grade II ham have a special fruity aroma. They also may be prone to sourness and affect the flavor of the ham. Volatiles with low threshold values, such as pyrazines, furans, and sulfur-containing compounds, were relatively high in Grade III hams. This may also contribute to the poorer flavor quality of Grade III hams. This experiment provided a reliable test method and evaluation basis for the rating of Jinhua ham. These results have positive implications for the establishment of odor markers-based grading criteria.

The beef flavor was selected to carry out toxicological analysis regarding food intake, body weight, organs weight and blood biochemical indexes in mice. The results show that beef flavor could suppress food intake but promote mice weight compared with the control group. Flavor intake has significant effect on the ratio of liver and lung weight to the whole body weight, but it has no difference in the ratio of heart, spleen and kidney weight. Some biochemical indexes about fat metabolism in blood such as the total protein, total bile acid and alkaline phosphatase are respectively 4 g/L, 0.7μmol/L and 23 IU/L more than the control group. These factors and cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the mice blood all have extremely significant differences (P<0.01) in different conditions. The results suggest that the beef flavor has significant impact on fat metabolism in mice.

Finger citron (Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis Swingle), a type of citrus with high ornamental and medicinal values, were used as raw material for beverage and wine making. Depends on the origin, the key aroma compounds of the fruit may vary. The aim of this study is to identify interspecific differences in finger citron and to provide a reference for the evaluation of finger citron fruit flavor, variety improvement and selection of new varieties. In the present study headspace solid phase microextraction (HS‐SPME) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were used to analyze and identify the volatiles of 4 different varieties of finger citron from four different locations (Zhejiang, Guangzhou, Yunnan and Sichuan). Their similarities and differences were further analyzed by Venn diagram. The relative odor activity value (ROAV), heat map, radar map and partial least squares regression (PLSR) were used to determine the key volatiles of finger citron. The results showed that 68 volatiles were detected in different varieties of finger citron, among which 16 key volatiles had ROAV ≥1. Geraniol and d‐limonene had a greater influence on the aroma of finger citron. The main aroma of finger citron in the four regions was the citrus aroma. ZFC had the most abundant flavor, with obvious woody and herbal flavors, which was suitable for the breeding of finger citron with partial herbal flavor. GFC was suitable for breeding finger citron which was on the sweet side. Compared with SFC, YFC was more suitable for breeding finger citron with floral flavor. This study mainly investigates the flavor differences of different varieties of finger citron to provide theoretical support for the subsequent product development. Novelty Impact Statement This study found that finger citron from Zhejiang, Sichuan, Guangdong, and Yunnan provinces in China had different aroma characteristics. The odor of finger citron from Guangdong was sweet, the odor of finger citron from Zhejiang was more herbal, and the odor of finger citron from Yunnan and Sichuan was more floral. This provided a theoretical basis for the subsequent application and breeding of finger citron.

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