Characterization of the Potent Odorants Contributing to the Characteristic Aroma of Beijing Douzhi by Gas Chromatography-Olfactometry, Quantitative Analysis, and Odor Activity Value

Beijing douzhi (BD) is a traditional snack in Beijing, China, and it has been listed as a part of Beijing s intangible cultural heritage. The potent odorants that contribute to the characteristic aroma of BD were investigated by analyzing the isolates from solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) and simultaneous distillation-extraction. Using aroma extract dilution analysis based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-olfactometry, 31 aroma-active compounds with flavor dilution (FD) factors ranging from 1 to 2187 were identified by comparison of their odor characteristics, MS data, and retention indices with those of reference compounds. To further determine their contribution to the aroma of BD, the odorants isolated using SAFE with FD factors ≥9 were quantified, and their odor activity values (OAVs; ratio of concentration to the respective odor threshold in water) were calculated. Eleven compounds were found to have OAVs ≥ 1, which indicated they were the potent odorants that contributed substantially to the characteristic aroma of BD. Among the 11 odorants, (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal, eugenol, methional, p-cresol, 1-octen-3-one, and 3-methylbutanoic acid were not previously identified in BD.