Gary A. Reineccius. I am very grateful for the privilege to have Gary as my advisor, not only in my research and study, but also in my life and career. His support, encouragement, wisdom, kindness and generosity have always influenced me positively, helping me release my fear of the unknown. My appreciation also extends to my laboratory colleagues in the flavor lab. Thanks to Vaidhyanathan Anantharamkrishnan, who provided me with every bit of guidance, assistance and support that I needed in my work. Thanks to Yara Benavides Paz, who served as my sensory panelist and provided me with useful advice in my research. Thanks to Katie Enzenauer and Bruna Barbon Paulo for their friendship and encouragement throughout my time in the lab as well as in my daily life. I also need to thank Jean-Paul Schirle-Keller, who helped me solve any analytical problems that I faced, making the experiments going well. I would also like to thank my defense committee members Dr. George A. Annor and Dr. Leonard F. Marquart for their value time and helpful guidance. Besides, I have to thank my former advisor Dr. Daniel J. O'Sullivan for helping me join the Food Science M.S. program here. ii Special thanks to Dr. David Marks and Ratan Chopra (Department of Plant and Microbial Biology), who shared their abundant knowledge and expertise on pennycress, and also provided pennycress sample for this research. My special thanks also expressed to Julie Kirihara (Center for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics) for her patience, kindness and help in the mass spectrometry center. Most importantly, I owe this accomplishment to the endless love from my parents and my elder brother. I cannot image how can I reach this point without their support. iii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my parents for always supporting me and encouraging me to do what I want to do. They gave me the courage to overcome the fear of "from having everything to having nothing" in a new environment. Thanks for them giving me the wings to fly further and higher.I also dedicated this thesis to my elder brother who always tries his best to protect me like a shield whenever problems try to reach me. Without my brother, I won't be the person I am today.