Discrimination and characterization of volatile organic compounds and nutritional values of three varieties of chopped pepper seeds

Yulian Chen; Xilu Zhang; Xin Liu; Yida Liu; Aixiang Hou; Yuanliang Wang; Luoming Li; Xiaozhen Peng; Yu Xiao

doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101150

Discrimination and characterization of volatile organic compounds and nutritional values of three varieties of chopped pepper seeds

Food Chem X. 2024 Jan 17:21:101150. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101150. eCollection 2024 Mar 30.

Authors

Yulian Chen¹, Xilu Zhang², Xin Liu², Yida Liu², Aixiang Hou², Yuanliang Wang², Luoming Li², Xiaozhen Peng³, Yu Xiao^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.
² College of Food Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.
³ School of Public Health & Laboratory Medicine, Hunan University of Medicine, Huaihua 418000, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Tea Science, College of Horticulture, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.

Abstract

Fermented-chopped pepper is a widely consumed condiment in China due to its attractive flavor. Chopped pepper seed (CPS) is the byproduct generated during the production of chopped pepper and is generally discarded as waste. In this study, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nutritional value of three varieties of CPS were investigated. Results indicated that the nutritional compositions of the three CPS varieties exhibited significant differences. All CPS samples contained 17 amino acids and were rich in fatty acids, with unsaturated fatty acids being predominant and accounting for 79 % of the total fatty acids. A total of 53 VOCs were identified by gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry, which could be classified into 9 groups, with aldehydes, esters, and alcohols comprising the three largest groups. The three varieties of CPS had remarkably varied aromas whereas there are five key VOCs (i.e., 2-pentylfuran, methional, ethyl 3-methylbutanoate, dimethyl disulfide, and nonanal) in all CPS samples. Network correlation analysis revealed that VOCs are closely correlated with amino and fatty acids. Thus, this study provides a useful basis for understanding the nutritional values and flavor characteristics of different CPS varieties, which could be used as an ingredient and might have great potential in the food industry.

Keywords: Byproduct utilization; Flavor characteristics; Headspace–gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry; Multivariate statistical analysis; Nutrient compositions; Relative odor active values.