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In order to study the aroma-active components of pungent spices and to promote the standardization of their processing and application, this work used solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry (GC-MS/O) to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the aroma-active components of 20 pungent spices. Using olfactory analysis, a total of 203 aroma-active compounds with flavor dilution (FD) values ≥ 9 were identified mainly consisting of alcohols, sulfur compounds, olefins, esters, ketones, aldehydes, phenols and acids, and the concentrations of aroma-active compounds varied between different spices. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that all samples could be well classified into three groups. The aroma-active compounds of garlic, Welsh onion, chive and onion were dominated by sulfur compounds, while the aroma-active components of the other pungent spices were dominated by olefins, alcohols, phenols and ketones. Aroma-active sulfur-containing compounds were detected in garlic at the highest level of 3 484 777.68 μg/kg, including disulphide and trisulphide, contributing to the characteristic flavor of Allium plants. The highest content of aroma-active olefinic compounds of 72 847 224.14 μg/kg was detected in ginger, and the major aroma-active components of ginger were α-gingerene and β-sesquiterpene. Alcohols and ketones were detected in wild mint at high levels of 284 886.09 and 196 167.66 μg/kg, respectively, and the characteristic aroma components of wild mint were menthol and carvone. Aroma-active aldehydes were detected in litsea at high levels of 469 242.68 μg/kg. The major aroma-active components detected in litsea were citral and citronellal. This study provides a theoretical basis for the deep processing of pungent spices.

An online survey was conducted to show that most respondents preferred sports drinks with sweet and fruity characteristics. Eleven sports drinks with higher consumers' preferences were further selected for aroma and taste evaluation. Temporal dominance of sensations analysis showed that fruity and fresh attributes were dominant, while sour and fruity sweet were dominant tastes during consumption. β-Damascenone, β-ionone, and linalool contributing to floral perception, γ-decalactone, ethyl cinnamate, and isoamyl acetate contributing to fruity perception, and menthol contributing to fresh perception were confirmed by odor activity value analysis. Running affected the nasal air flow and the saliva secretion, resulting in the flavor perception changing from fruity sweet, sweet, and fruity to sour because the recognition threshold decreased for sweet, fruity, floral, and fresh flavors and increased for saltiness, astringency, and sour tastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]