Analysis of Flavor Characteristics in Lemon-Fermented Fruit Wines from Three Distinct Varieties Using Odor Activity Values Combined with Multivariate Statistical Approaches

Fruit wines fermented from citrus fruits are highly popular worldwide. The flavor profiles of fruit wines (ELFW, SLFW, PLFW) fermented from three different varieties of lemons (Eureka lemon, ELFW; Sweet lemon, SLFW; and Perfume lemon, PLFW) were investigated by odor activity values combined with multivariate statistical analysis. Volatile compounds in fruit wines were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and multidimensional GC–MS (MDGC–MS). A total of 85 volatile compounds were identified across the samples, with ELFW containing the highest number (67), followed by SLFW (65) and PLFW (58). Alcohols (51.25–73.50%) dominated the volatiles, followed by hydrocarbons and esters. α-Terpineol, 4-terpineol, and d-limonene dominated ELFW, SLFW, and PLFW respectively. Forty-six characteristic flavor compounds were screened, and fenchol showed the highest OAVs. Using OPLS-DA combined with variable importance in projection (VIP), 17 key flavor markers were identified to distinguish flavor difference among three lemon cultivar-based fermented fruit wines.