Characterization and discrimination of volatile compounds in roasted Arabica coffee beans from different origins by combining GC-TOFMS, GC-IMS, and GC-E-Nose.

Abstract

The origin of coffee beans plays a pivotal role in shaping the flavor profile of roasted coffee. In this study, roasted coffee beans from eight distinct origins were comprehensively characterized for their volatile compounds using gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS), gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), and gas chromatography-electronic nose (GC-E-Nose). GC-TOFMS identified a total of 168 volatile compounds, with odor activity value (OAV) analysis determined 34 key aroma compounds (OAV > 1) and variable importance projection (VIP) analysis screened 12 key differential volatile compounds. GC-IMS identified 105 volatile compounds and further achieved satisfactory differentiation of coffee from different origins using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). GC-E-Nose further identified volatile compounds with distinct variations across different origins, allowing for the rapid identification of coffee samples. These technologies, coupled with multivariate statistical analysis, enabled a comprehensive characterization of flavor compounds and their variations in roasted coffee beans from different origins.