Evaluation of the aroma quality of Chinese traditional soy paste during storage based on principal component analysis

• Alcohols, phenols and aldehydes compounds decreased in soy paste storage.
• Acids, esters and heterocycles compounds increased in soy paste storage.
• Three overall odor types were defined in storage based on PCA results.
• The three periods represent floral, roasting and pungent aroma types of soy paste.

Soy paste, a fermented soybean product, is widely used for flavouring in East and Southeast Asian countries. The characteristic aroma of soy paste is important throughout its shelf life. This study extracted volatile compounds via headspace solid-phase microextraction and conducted a quantitative analysis of 15 key volatile compounds using gas chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrum analysis. Changes in aroma content during storage time were analyzed using an acceleration model (40 °C, 28 days). In the 28 days of storage, results showed that among key soy paste volatile compounds, alcohol and aldehyde contents decreased by 35% and 26%, respectively. By contrast, acid, ester, and heterocycle contents increased by 130%, 242%, and 15%, respectively. The overall odour type transformed from a floral to a roasting aroma. According to sample clustering in the principal component analysis, the storage life of soy paste could be divided into three periods. These three periods represent the floral, roasting, and pungent aroma types of soy paste.