Characterization of Key Aroma-Active Compounds in Two Types of Peach Spirits Produced by Distillation and Pervaporation by Means of the Sensomics Approach

Abstract

As a deep-processed product of peach, the aroma characteristics of peach spirit have not been systematically studied, and there has been no research on improving the aroma quality through process improvement. Pervaporation technology was used for the first time in the production of peach spirit instead of distillation, and its critical aroma compounds were analyzed compared with distilled peach spirit. Compared to the distilled peach spirit, pervaporation produced peach spirit presented stronger fruity, honey, and acidic aromas, and lighter cooked-apple aroma. Sixty-two and 65 aroma-active regions were identified in the distilled and pervaporation produced peach spirits, and 40 and 43 of them were quantified. The concentrations of esters, lactones, and acids were significantly higher in the pervaporation produced peach spirit than those in the distilled peach spirit, while terpenoids showed opposite tendency. Both of the overall aromas of distilled and pervaporation produced peach spirits were reconstituted successfully by the compounds with OAV ≥ 1. The omission tests identified 10 and 18 compounds as important aroma compounds for distilled and pervaporation-produced peach spirits, respectively. The differences in the key aroma compounds between the two types of peach spirits explained the differences in the aroma profiles.

Pattern Recognition of Varieties of Peach Fruit and Pulp from Their Volatile Components and Metabolic Profile Using HS-SPME-GC/MS Combined with Multivariable Statistical Analysis

“…Aroma is very valuable for the consumer, and specific attention should be paid to odor-important compounds. Thus, if key odor-active compounds for peaches have to be identified, lactones will be among them [ 51 ]. Although past research [ 52 ] on the relative VOC concentrations and sensory attributes of peaches found higher concentrations of monoterpenes and esters compared to lactones in peaches, the latter are major contributors to the specific fruity, peach-like aroma [ 53 ].…”

Separation techniques for manufacturing fruit spirits: From traditional distillation to advanced pervaporation process

“…Once the alcohol content of the permeate in the feedstock tank reaches 0.5% vol or lower, a complete pervaporation process is completed. The initial pervaporation seizes the permeate, which serves as the raw material for the second pervaporation, ultimately resulting in peach spirit production exceeding 40% (v/v) (Wang et al., 2022). Figure 5a shows the process of producing fruit spirits using a single pervaporation membrane.…”

“…Furthermore, the pervaporation method has good separation efficiency for ethyl isobutyrate, isobutyl acetate, ethyl isovalerate, and ethyl hexanoate compared to that for Charentaise distillation, which facilitates the fruity property of the spirit. However, the quantity and content of terpenes are higher in the peach spirit produced using Charentaise distillation than in that produced via the pervaporation method (Wang et al., 2022). This result is due to the lack of high‐temperature heating in the pervaporation process because heating in distillation favors the accumulation of linalool and ( E )‐β‐damascenone (Kanasawud & Crouzet, 1990; Lukic et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2022; Yoshizaki et al., 2011).…”

“…However, the quantity and content of terpenes are higher in the peach spirit produced using Charentaise distillation than in that produced via the pervaporation method (Wang et al., 2022). This result is due to the lack of high‐temperature heating in the pervaporation process because heating in distillation favors the accumulation of linalool and ( E )‐β‐damascenone (Kanasawud & Crouzet, 1990; Lukic et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2022; Yoshizaki et al., 2011). The permeate retains approximately 70% of the aroma content of the original material, while the remaining 30% is present in the retentate (Sun et al., 2020).…”

“…Thus, the use of pervaporation technology for the recovery of organic components from fermentation liquids and the production of alcoholic beverages offers significant advantages. To date, pervaporation technology has been applied to the production of grape brandy, cachaça, and peach spirits (Karp et al., 2019; Sun et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2022).…”