“Hongmeiren” bananas
are popular because of their
red peel. Two extraction methods solvent-assisted flavor evaporation
and headspace solid-phase microextraction, combined with gas chromatography-olfactometry
and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), were
used to analyze the volatile components of “Hongmeiren”
bananas. A total of 86 aroma compounds were identified by GC–MS,
62 of which were identified as the major aroma-active compounds with
an odor activity value ≥ 1 or modified frequency ≥ 30%.
Ethyl (E)-2-butenoate, 4-undecanone, and α-phellandrene
were found in bananas for the first time. Sensory experiments showed
that eight sweet-associated odorants could significantly achieve the
sweetness enhancement effect at 30 g/L sucrose solution by odor-induced
changes in taste perception. These experiments suggest that selected
odorants can achieve sugar reduction, but with consideration of the
sugar concentration. The study of the sweetness enhancement effect
of individual compounds provides a more direct theoretical support
for sugar reduction in the food industry.