Effects of different frying temperatures on the aroma profiles of fried mountain pepper (Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers.) oils and characterization of their key odorants

Fried mountain pepper (Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers.) oil is widely used as a traditional spice flavoring oil in Chinese home cooking. To investigate the effects of different frying temperatures on the aroma of fried mountain pepper oil (FPO), four FPO samples were analyzed by descriptive sensory analysis (DSA), E-nose, gas chromatography-olfactometry/detection frequency analysis (GC-O/DFA) and odor activity value (OAV) calculation. DSA and E-nose results both indicated that significant differences existed among 4 FPOs, among which FPO3 showed superiority in several sensory attributes. 16 and 20 aroma-active compounds were screened by DFA and OAV, respectively. Thereafter, three aroma recombination models were performed, and results indicated the model solution derived from the combination of OAV and DFA was more closely resembled the FPO aroma. Omission tests corroborated the significant contributions of 11 compounds (1-octen-3-ol, linalool, geraniol, nonanal, (E)-2-octenal, citral, citronellal, limonene, α-pinene, β-myrcene and methylheptenone) to the characteristic aroma of FPO.