Assessment of the aroma profiles of 15 commercial Chinese jujubes using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry

• Aldehydes, ketones, alcohols and esters were common in different commercial Chinese jujubes. • 3-Hydroxy-2-butanone and methyl acetate contributed great to commercial Chinese jujubes. • Significant differences of aroma profiles were found among 15 commercial Chinese jujubes • JSBZ, HMDZ and HPZ respectively presented significantly different aroma profiles. Jujube is the homology of medicine and food, which popular for its characteristic flavor. Aroma is one of the most key factors that determining the quality of commercial Chinese jujube. In this study, gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) was applied for aroma characterization of 15 varieties of commercial Chinese jujubes. Results showed a total of 29 aroma compositions were identified, and aldehydes (10.42%−22.87%), ketones (26.45%−42.06%), alcohols (2.42%−7.30%), and esters (16.41%−26.86%) were common in 15 varieties of commercial Chinese jujubes. 3-Hydroxy-2-butanone, methyl acetate, benzaldehyde, 2,3-butanedione and 2-methylbutyric acid contributed great to the aroma profiles of different commercial Chinese jujubes. Moreover, significant ( P <0.05) differences of aroma profiles were found among 15 varieties of commercial Chinese jujubes, and it can be well distinguished by 3D-topographic, characteristic fingerprint and principal component analysis (PCA) results. In conclusion, JSBZ (Ji Shan Ban Zao), HMDZ (Ha Mi Da Zao) and HPZ (Hu Ping Zao) respectively presented significantly different aroma profile characteristics. GC-IMS instrument and PCA statistical method were superior and effective in assessing the differences of aroma profiles of different commercial Chinese jujubes.