Comparative Study on Taste and Odor Flavor Compounds of Chrysanthemums from Five Different Varieties Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, GC-MS, E-Tongue, E-Nose, and Chemometrics.

A practical strategy was established for distinguishing five varieties of Chrysanthemums by combining E-tongue, E-nose, GC-MS, and LC-Q-TOF-MS. A total of 19 low molecule fraction compounds and 26 volatile fraction compounds were identified as the common peaks. Chemometrics were used to screen the characteristic compounds of the five varieties of Chrysanthemums. E-tongue and E-nose were used to distinguish the taste and odor of the five varieties of Chrysanthemum, respectively. The Hangju variety had the richest taste flavor and the weakest aroma, while the Huaiju variety had the strongest odor of pine, woody, floral, and fruity aroma. The study found that 3, 5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 1, 5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, luteolin-7-β-D-glucoside, and 4, 5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were the principal taste flavor components based on Gray Relational Analysis (GRA) and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR). α-pinene, camphene, γ-terpinene, camphor, etc. were identified as the principal volatile flavor components based on Spearman's rank correlation. The combination of chemometrics and intelligent sensory technology presents a potential technique for analyzing the flavor of Chrysanthemums and other food products.