Analysis of resinous aroma characteristic flavor compounds of American flue-cured tobacco leaves through molecular sensory

American flue-cured tobacco leaves are known to possess high quality, but their representative resinous flavor compounds are not known. In this study, three American flue-cured tobacco leaves were selected, and their characteristic aromas were confirmed by sensory evaluation. Representative resinous flavor compounds were further revealed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of mainstream smoke components, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, relative odor activity value (ROAV), recombination and omission tests. The results showed that the characteristic aromas of American tobacco leaves were hay, resinous and roasted sweet. The numbers and contents of flavor compounds in American FCB2 tobacco leaves were significantly higher than those in the reference tobacco leaves. The main resinous aroma compounds of FCB2 tobacco leaves were revealed as benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, eugenol and 4-vinylphenol, which were further confirmed by Sephadex column chromatography. The ROAV values of four compounds were greater than 1.0, and they were assigned as key resinous aroma compounds. The mainstream smoke transfer rates of the four compounds ranged from 3.94% to 36.87%. Based on smoke transfer rates and flavor compound concentrations, a new simulation method was constructed as Ci = Si/F1i/0.01/1000, and the recombination samples were further verified by sensory evaluation and omission tests.