Comprehensive flavor characterization and fingerprint construction of fermented pepper

-nose), electronic tongue (E-tongue), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were applied to comprehensively analyze the flavor characteristics of fermented peppers from different regions. Results showed that a total of 24 free amino acids, 6 organic acids, and 59 volatile compounds were identified. OPLS-DA analysis effectively separated high-quality fermented pepper samples from all samples, showing good agreement with sensory evaluation results. Furthermore, characteristic flavor fingerprints with high similarity (> 0.95) were successfully established, providing a scientific basis and technical parameters for the evaluation and regulation of fermented pepper flavor quality.