Impact of processing on odour-active compounds of a mixed tomato-onion puree

•Dipropyl disulfide is the most potent odorant of processed tomato-onion puree.•Aroma generation and endogenous enzymes are strongly interrelated.•Blanching prior to processing leads to lower volatiles levels in the puree.•All-in-one and split-stream processes have distinct impact on aroma of mixed systems.

Gas chromatography-olfactometry revealed thirty-two odour-active compounds in a heat-processed tomato-onion puree, among which twenty-seven were identified by gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (GC-O-MS) and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOF MS). Based on the results of two olfactometric methods, i.e. detection frequency and aroma extract dilution analysis, the most potent aroma components include: dipropyl disulfide, S-propyl thioacetate, dimethyl trisulfide, 1-octen-3-one, methional, dipropyl trisulfide, 4,5-dimethylthiazole, 2-phenylacetaldehyde and sotolone. Processing of mixed vegetable systems can add complexity in their aroma profiles due to (bio)chemical interactions between the components. Therefore, the impact of different processing steps (i.e. thermal blanching, all-in-one and split-stream processes) on the volatile profile and aroma of a mixed tomato-onion puree has been investigated using a GC-MS fingerprinting approach. Results showed the potential to control the aroma in a mixed tomato-onion system through process-induced enzymatic modulations for producing tomato-onion food products with distinct aroma characteristics.