Comparison of key odorants and sensory properties of various caviar with different breeding environments, processing conditions, and grades of quality

This is the first comprehensive comparison of key odorants and sensory properties of various caviar with different breeding environments, processing conditions, and grades of quality. Ten aroma attributes were identified and rated by sensory descriptive analysis. 47 and 50 volatile compounds were identified by two aroma extraction methods (SPME, SAFE) combined with GC-MS, respectively. 27 potential key aroma-active compounds were quantitated and further screening through AEDA and OAV calculation. Finally, 21 key aroma active compounds (OAV > 1, FD ≥ 9) were screened, including butanal, hexanal, (<i>Z</i>)-4-heptenal, (<i>Z</i>)-2-penten-1-ol, 2-nonanone, nonanal, 1-octen-3-ol, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, benzaldehyde, acetic acid and other compounds. Recombination and omission tests verified that these compounds played an important role in the overall aroma profile of different caviar samples. The different contribution of key volatile aroma compounds to the overall aroma system of caviar resulted in the difference of caviar flavor quality.