Identification\nand Biotransformation of Volatile Markers\nDuring the Early Stage of Zygosaccharomyces rouxii and Zygosaccharomyces mellis Contamination\nin Acacia Honey

To address the volatile markers and their biotransformation\nduring\nthe early stage of <i>Zygosaccharomyces spp.</i> contamination\nin acacia honey, headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography–mass\nspectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) and chemometric analyses were used to\nexplore the variation of volatile compounds. A total of 36 and 35\nvolatile compounds were identified before and after contamination\nof Zygosaccharomyces rouxii and Zygosaccharomyces mellis, respectively. Methyl butyrate\nand 2-methyl-3-pentanone could be used as volatile markers of <i>Z. rouxii</i> and <i>Z. mellis-</i>contaminated honey,\nwhich were both specific products of the yeast′s own fermentation.\n2,5-Dimethylbenzaldehyde was identified as a volatile marker of <i>Z. rouxii</i> and <i>Z. mellis-</i>contaminated acacia\nhoney, and it was a specific product resulting from the interaction\nof yeast and acacia honey. In addition, β-damascenone could\nbe determined as a potential volatile marker after <i>Z. rouxii-</i>contaminated acacia honey. Methyl 2-methylbutyrate was used as a\npotential volatile marker in the high-concentration groups of <i>Z. rouxii</i> and <i>Z. mellis</i>. The content ranges\nof methyl butyrate, 2-methyl-3-pentanone, and 2,5-dimethylbenzaldehyde\nin four samples were 6.62–14.59, 3.15–5.42, and 52.52–215.19\nμg/mL, respectively. The variation of volatile markers during\nthe early stage of osmotolerant yeast contamination provided a theoretical\nbasis for the use of HS-SPME-GC-MS for the rapid detection of acacia\nhoney deterioration while reducing economic losses.