Solid-phase microextraction (SPME), purge and trap (P&T), stir bar sportive extraction (SBSE), and dynamic headspace sampling (DHS) were applied to extract, separate and analyze the volatile compounds in the roots of Hangbaizhi, Qibaizhi, and Bobaizhi and the GC-O-MS/MS (AEDA) was utilized for the quantification of key aroma compounds. Totals of 52, 54, and 43 aroma-active compounds extracted from the three samples by the four extraction methods were identified. Among these methods, the SPME effectively extracted the aroma compounds from the A. dahurica. Thus, using the SPME methods for quantitative analysis based on external standards and subsequent dilution analyses, totals of 20, 21, and 17 aroma compounds were detected in the three samples by the sniffing test, and sensory evaluations indicated that the aromas of A. dahurica included herb, spice, and woody. Finally, principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the three kinds A. dahurica formed three separate groups, and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed that caryophyllene, (-)-β-elemene, nonanal, and β-pinene played an important role in the classification of A. dahurica.
Keywords: Angelica dahurica root; aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA); aroma-active compounds; gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (GC-O-MS); solid-phase microextraction (SPME).