5:30 PM - 5:45 PM
[2Bp-10] Characterization of the lemon aroma of different degrees of ripeness by sensory evaluation and GC-MS
Keywords:lemon (Citrus limon), aroma, different degrees of ripeness, GC-MS, sensory evaluation
To clarify the characteristic lemon aroma at different ripeness stages, sensory evaluation and GC-MS analysis were applied to the three different ripeness stages of fresh fruit (early harvests, proper ripeness, complete ripeness). The sensory evaluation using the Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) technique revealed that the lemon aroma of each ripeness consisted of the common notes to all the ripeness degrees and the specific notes to each ripeness. In addition, to reveal the aroma components that affect the characteristic lemon aroma of the different ripeness degrees, all the results obtained from the sensory evaluation and GC-MS were conducted by the principal component analysis. Consequently, it could be shown that the characteristics of an early harvest or complete ripe fruit were associated with the components that decrease or increase with the ripening. On the other hand, no aroma components corresponding to the characteristic juicy-note of proper ripening were found, and that note was inferred to be a complex note produced by the balance of components that make up the characteristics of the early harvest and complete ripeness. Then, a result of confirming this hypothesis using a lemon-flavored beverage, it was observed that the juicy note tends to be stronger when the components that make up the characteristics of the early harvest and complete ripeness coexist. This result suggested that the juicy-note was a complex note produced by the balance of these components. Based on all these results, all the characteristic lemon aromas of the different degrees of ripeness and the volatile components that affected them were clarified.