Aroma profiling of Chinese Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) using flavoromics analysis

Abstract

Chrysanthemum flower (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.), a traditional plant with both edible and medicinal properties in China, is widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this work, various representative chrysanthemum flowers, including Hangju (Taiju, TJ; Duoju, DJ), Chuju (CJ), and Gongju (GJ), were selected to investigate their aroma profiles via flavoromics analysis. Sensory analysis revealed that floral and grassy aroma were dominant in all samples, followed by sourness. Specifically, the note of caramel/sweet was most prominent in TJ, floral in DJ, sour in CJ, and minty in GJ. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis identified terpenes as the major chemical components. Additionally, 94 aroma-active compounds were identified using gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (GC-O-MS) and aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), and the major odorants with the highest flavor dilution (FD) values of TJ, DJ, CJ, and GJ were 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, β-bisabolene, borneol, and 1,8-cineole, respectively. Accordingly, 1,8-cineole, borneol, (E)-β-farnesene, β-elemene, and β-caryophyllene were identified as key compounds contributing to aroma differences through PLS-DA combined with AEDA. In general, this work provides a theoretical basis for the quality control and industrial production of Chinese chrysanthemum flowers.