Effect of Sichuan Pepper (Zanthoxylum genus) Addition on Flavor Profile in Fermented Ciba Chili (Capsicum genus) Using GC-IMS Combined with E-Nose and E-Tongue

Abstract

This study examined the flavor profiles of fermented Ciba chili, comparing samples with Sichuan pepper (HJ) to those without Sichuan pepper (CK), using three analytical techniques: E-tongue, E-nose, and gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS). The results obtained from the E-tongue and E-nose exhibited a clear difference in taste and flavor between CK and HJ. In detail, CK mainly exhibited a sour flavor profile, whereas HJ displayed an intricate and rich flavor. The HS-GC-IMS results identified a total of 60 compounds in the samples, with terpenes, alcohols, and esters being the primary volatile flavor compounds. Additionally, Zanthoxylum was found to significantly enhance the concentration of these compounds in fermented Ciba chili. Through robust principal component analysis (rPCA), 17 distinct flavor compounds were selected. Correlation analysis revealed that most terpenes exhibited positive correlations with LY2/LG, LY2/gCT1, LY2/Gct, LY2/G, LY2/Gh, and terpenes were found in higher concentrations in HJ. This study contributes a theoretical basis and provides data support for optimizing the fermentation process and elucidating the underlying mechanism of characteristic aroma formation in Ciba chili after fermentation.

Characterization of flavor and taste profile of different radish (Raphanus Sativus L.) varieties by headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC/IMS) and E-nose/tongue

“…WW displayed the highest overall response to sensors, while RW exhibited the lowest. Radish samples showed a minimal response to LY2/LG, LY2/G, LY2/AA, LY2/Gh, LY2/gCT1 and LY2/gCT, which indicates sensitivity to organic amines ( Wu et al, 2023 ). All varieties responded strongly to P30/2, P30/1, and PA/2 sensors, which detect organic compounds.…”

“…The gaseous sample injection volume was 1 mL, and the injection speed was set at 500 μL/s. Each sample was measured ten times, and three sets of stable data were selected for further analysis ( Wu et al, 2023 ).…”

“…The volatile flavor compounds were determined by HS-GC-IMS (G.A.S. Instrument, Germany) according to the method described by Wu B ( Wu et al, 2023 ). Briefly, 1.5 g of radish flesh was weighed into a headspace glass sampling vial, inoculating at 50 °C for 20 min, next, 500 μL of the gaseous sample was automatically injected into the GC-IMS system by a syringe at 85 °C.…”

Effects of Pulsed Electric Field and High-Pressure Processing Treatments on the Juice Yield and Quality of Sea Buckthorn

“…A 2 mL sample of sea buckthorn juice was placed in a 20 mL headspace vial and incubated at 60 °C for 20 min. The injection volume was 2000 μL, the injection rate was 125 μL/s, the temperature of the injection port was 200 °C, the outlet flow rate was 30 mL/min, the injection time was 45 s, the cleaning time was 200 s, and the data acquisition time was 110 s [ 32 ]. The compounds were calibrated using n-alkane standard liquid, and the data were processed using Alpha Soft Version 14.5.…”

Advancing Insights into Probiotics during Vegetable Fermentation

“…Improving the vegetable fermentation process can be achieved by establishing a more controllable fermentation platform and quantifying fermentation indices using techniques such as e-tongue and e-nose [137] (Figure 3). E-tongue and e-nose technologies offer digital methods to simulate human taste and olfaction, enabling rapid and accurate evaluation of food flavors [138] (Figure 3). For example, in the flavor characterization of traditional Chinese fermented soybean paste, the combination of intelligent sensing technologies and chemometrics exhibited high discriminant accuracy [139].…”