Identification of aroma types and their characteristic volatile compounds of Chinese faint-scent cigarettes based on descriptive sensory analysis and GC-MS and partial least squares regression

To characterize the aroma types of Chinese faint-scent cigarettes, eight different Chinese cigarette brands were characterized by quantitative descriptive sensory analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the aromatic faint-scent type was related to freshness, flowery and acidic notes. One hundred and fourteen volatile compounds were detected in the mainstream smoke by GC-MS, and 67 of them were selected as specific compounds correlated to aroma types of faint-scent by partial least squares regression. The correlation results indicated that freshness note was significantly positive correlated to 2,3-dimethyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one (B) and megastigmatrienone (B), while methyl hexadecanoate, palmitic acid ethyl ester, megastigmatrienone (A, C), 4-tert-butyl-2,6-dimethylacetophenone, furfuryl alcohol and oleic acid showed significantly negative correlation to it; acidic note showed significantly negative correlation to furfuryl formate, 3-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one, furfuryl alcohol, oleic acid and 5-methyl furfural; flowery note was significantly positively correlated with crotonic acid, while it was negatively correlated to palmitic acid ethyl ester and megastigmatrienone (A).