Association of Refreshing Perception with Volatile Aroma Compounds, Organic Acids, and Soluble Solids in Freshly Consumed Cucumber Fruit

Abstract

Refreshing is a multidimensional concept for the response to a food consumption experience, especially for drinks. The consumer has daily needs for refreshing; however, the perception of refreshing and the associated food sensory quality and molecule composition are underexplored. This study aimed to (1) use a consumer study to evaluate the refreshing perception of eight cucumber varieties, (2) identify volatile aroma and nonvolatile taste compounds in cucumber with instrumental analysis, and (3) explore the potential correlation between refreshing perception and aroma- and taste-related compounds using statistical analysis. The cucumber consumer study (n = 103) showed that cucumbers were perceived as refreshing in general (intensities 3.3–5.4, 0–10 line scale). The analysis of volatiles with solid-phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) identified 155 volatiles. Aldehydes and alcohols were the most dominant, accounting for 25.5%–77.9% and 15.0%–58.1%, respectively. Soluble solids and three organic acids were quantified in the eight cucumber varieties using a refractometer and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively. Cucumber variety differences in these variables (volatiles, organic acids, and soluble solids) were significant (p ≤ 0.05). Compounds associated with refreshing perception were investigated using partial least-squares (PLS) regression, and refreshing perception was highly correlated with aldehydes (mainly C6 and C9 aldehydes), organic acid, and soluble solids. The findings would bring in a new potential use of cucumber, especially when the food industry is interested in developing products perceived as refreshing with natural flavorings.

Non-targeted metabolomic analysis for the comparative evaluation of volatile organic compounds in 20 globally representative cucumber lines

“…However, consumer preferences for cucumbers varies vastly because of its distinct flavors. Because of this, numerous studies have been conducted to produce cucumbers with flavor characteristics suitable for different consumer preferences by enhancing the fruit quality through changes in cultivation methods ( Guler et al., 2013 ; Li et al., 2019 ; Shan et al., 2020 ; Du et al., 2022a ; Du et al., 2022b ; Mi et al., 2022 ; Zhang et al., 2022 ).…”

Miniaturized Solid Phase Extraction Techniques Applied to Natural Products

“…HS-SPME coupled with GC-MS was used to characterize and compare the flavour profile of post-processing MMSA, with 64 volatile compounds being identified. Xiaofen Du et al [19] used solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography−mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) to analyse Cucumber Fruit volatiles. With this method, they identified 155 volatiles across eight samples, aldehydes and alcohols being the most dominant.…”

Comparative Evaluation of Volatile Organic Compounds in Two Bottle Gourd Accessions with Distinct Fruit Shapes

“…A total of twenty cucumber lines were used to assess the flavor-related VOCs, resulting in the identification of a Korean line showing potentially less intensive flavor in comparison to other cucumber lines on the basis of the appearance of distinct flavor-related VOCs [12]. Other cucurbit crops similar to cucumber have been widely studied and evaluated for their volatile organic compound profile with respect to flavor [13] and aroma [14]. Similarly, some studies have been conducted in watermelon to assess the outcomes of grafting in commercial bottle gourd rootstock.…”