Identification of Compounds That Contribute to Consumer Aroma Liking of Roasted American-European Hybrid Hazelnuts.

New interspecific hybrid hazelnut crosses between American ( Corylus americana ) and European ( Corylus avellana ) hazelnuts are being developed to support a commercial industry in the Midwest region of the United States. In this study, volatile compounds that impact consumer aroma liking of roasted hybrid hazelnuts ( C. americana × C. avellana ) were investigated by targeted and nontargeted GC/MS flavoromics. Chemical profiles from 10 roasted hybrid hazelnut samples were modeled with consumer aroma liking scores by orthogonal partial least-squares with good fit and predictive performance ( R ² ≥ 0.92, Q ² ≥ 0.82, RMSE _CV = 0.2). Top ranked predictors positively correlated with liking included 12 aroma compounds and 4 profiled volatiles for the targeted and nontargeted methods, respectively. Sensory recombination testing of hazelnut samples with addition of the 12 predictive odorants was preferred by consumers ( p < 0.001, Δ aroma liking = 2.2 on 9-point scale) and perceived as more roasty, nutty, and sweet compared to the control ( p < 0.05). Addition of the 4 predictive volatiles at subthreshold levels also was preferred ( p = 0.02) and perceived as less earthy and mushroom like than the control ( p < 0.05).