Differentiation of the volatile profiles of Chinese bayberry cultivars during storage by HS-SPME–GC/MS combined with principal component analysis

• SPME–GC/MS was applied for the determination of the volatile profile of bayberry.
• The identification of the freshness and spoilage of bayberry was carried out.
• The bayberry samples were discriminated by GC–MS coupled with PCA method.
• The volatile compounds resulting in the flavor differentiation were observed.
• The use for freshness evaluation by SPME/GC–MS for bayberry was carried out.

The changes of the volatiles in different Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra) fruit (‘Biqi’, ‘Dongkui’ and ‘Fenhongzhong’) in different storage conditions were observed and characterized using headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The volatile profiles at different storage conditions can be used for freshness evaluation during storage. 82 volatile compounds (including aldehydes, alcohols, acids, esters, terpenes and others) were identified and there were significant differences in the composition of volatiles among different cultivars. Principal component analysis (PCA) based on the GC–MS data was used to identify the important volatile compounds that contributed to the differentiation of the different bayberry cultivars under different storage conditions. On the basis of PCA, it has been possible to classify the bayberry fruit into several different groups according to the different cultivars and storage phases. The volatile compounds associated with flavor differentiation were also observed. The volatiles (A6, B9, and F11 for the ‘Biqi’ cultivar; D1 and E13 for the ‘Dongkui’ cultivar; E1, E2, and E6 for the ‘Fenhongzhong’ cultivar) could be of potential use for freshness evaluation.