Analysis of the Aroma Composition of Different Varieties of Apricot Wine

Fruit wine is favoured by consumers because of its low alcohol content and unique taste, but there are few studies on apricot wine. In order to explore the quality of apricot wine obtained by fermentation of different varieties of apricots and the typical volatile substances in apricot wine, and to find apricot varieties that can brew better quality apricot wine, the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was used to detect Jinkaite, Katy, Jintaiyang apricots and brewed apricot wine, and the correlation and difference of key odour substances were analyzed. A total of 25 aroma components in 6 categories were detected in the 3 varieties of apricots. Among the components, esters account for the largest proportion at 14 types, followed by both ketones and alcohols at 5 types. Compared with the original juice, the types of volatile substances in fermented apricot wine increased significantly. After aroma component analysis, 42, 36 and 38 odour components were screened out in Jinkaite wine, Kate wine and Jintaiyang wine. They were mainly composed of alcohols and esters. Among the three varieties, the total content of aroma components in “Katy” wine was the highest (114.09 mg·L−1), followed by Jinkaite wine (112.17 mg·L−1), and the total content of aroma components in Jintaiyang wine was lower (108.72 mg·L−1). The following substances were the most important aromatically active compounds identified, and they had low olfactory thresholds: linalool (25 μg·L−1), β-ionone (0.007 μg·L−1), ethyl caprylate (12.87 μg·L−1), methyl caprate (6 μg·L−1), which has a larger OAV value and strongly influences the aroma characteristics. Multi-factor analysis showed that compared with other varieties of apricot wine, the highest score of Kinkate apricot wine is 89 points, which is golden yellow, showing rich floral and fruity aromas, soft and full body, good stability and strong typicality. Jinkaite apricot, as an early-maturing and excellent new variety selected from the natural hybrid seedlings of Katy apricot, can be used as a high-quality new wine-making raw material. The aroma components and content of apricot wine made from different varieties of apricots showed significant differences, which provided an important basis for the selection of raw materials for deep processing of apricots. The research and development of apricot wine products can not only solve the problem of deep processing of apricots, but also conform to the current development trend of the wine market and have a good market prospect.