Characterisation of Volatile Profiles in Four Varieties of Jin'an Crispy Peaches Using HS-SPME-GC–MS and OAV Analysis

Jin'an crispy peach is a famous geographical indication product widely grown in Lu'an City. In this study, four representative cultivars, including ‘Chunxue’, ‘Nanguohong’, ‘Chunmi’, and ‘Huangjinmi’, were selected to analyse their volatile compounds, and the headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method was employed. Fifty-eight volatile compounds were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), with 31, 24, 24, and 16 compounds detected in ‘Nanguohong’, ‘Chunxue’, ‘Chunmi’ and ‘Huangjinmi’, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed strong correlations among five major compounds ( E )-2-hexenal, benzaldehyde, nonadienol, heptanoic acid and nonanoic acid in different cultivars. Odour activity value (OAV) analysis showed that 2-trans-4-trans-decadienal and β-damascenone exhibited the highest OAVs and together contributed to the primary flavour of the “Nanguohong” cultivar. In the “Chunxue” cultivar, ( E )-2-nonenal and 2,4-nonadien-1-al contributed to its grassy and green vegetable-like aromas. In the “Chunmi” and “Huangjinmi” cultivars, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and phenylethyl alcohol were the predominant odour-active compounds and imparted a sweet aroma to the peaches. This research not only enhances our understanding of the flavour characteristics of Jin'an crispy peach but also lays a foundation for its further development and utilisation.