Aroma features of honey measured by sensory evaluation, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and electronic nose

To study the aroma features of different varieties of honey, five honey samples from different botanical origins were characterized by sensory evaluation, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and electronic nose analysis. The sensory evaluation results gave a good reflection of the honey's different aroma characteristics. A total of 55 volatile compounds were identified by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and among these compounds, 13 were found in all of the honey samples. A number of differences were observed in the composition of volatile components from the five types of honey. Twenty-two compounds were selected as typical odor-active compounds which co-varied well with the five sensory attributes by partial least squares regression. The correlation results between the sensory profiles and electronic nose data showed that the electronic nose could give comparable results in predicting the sensory attributes of honey. In conclusion, the combination of sensory evaluation, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of volatile compounds, and electronic nose data with partial least squares regression analysis could be applicable for the overall analysis of aroma features for honey.