Studies on the key odorants in Maopu buckwheat finished Baijiu and the effect of tartary buckwheat extract on its flavor

Maopu buckwheat finished Baijiu (MBFB), a unique Chinese Baijiu, is mainly composed of base Baijiu and tartary buckwheat extract (TBE). However, there is a lack of studies reporting its flavor. In this study, the key odorants in MBFB were characterized for the first time using a sensomics approach. Forty-nine odorants were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactory analysis, coupled with aroma extraction dilution analysis. They were quantified using multiple methods and their odor activity values were calculated. Ethyl hexanoate, ethyl butanoate, butanoic acid, hexanoic acid, dimethyl trisulfide, p-cresol, β-damascenone, and 3-methylbutanal were confirmed as the key odorants in MBFB using recombination and omission experiments. Furthermore, the interaction between TBE and odorants were revealed that TBE enhanced the sweet notes, while it inhibited the alcoholic, acidic, and fruity notes, which might be because TBE promoted the volatility of most esters, but inhibited the volatilities of butanoic acid and hexanoic acid.