Rapid identification of the volatile markers in lotus seed using headspace-gas chromatography ion-mobility spectrometry

To rapidly identify the volatile markers in lotus seeds, this research compared the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of five lotus seed samples using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectroscopy (GC-IMS) and chemometric analysis. The results revealed that 49 VOCs were identified from the lotus seed samples, including 16 aldehydes, 15 alcohols, 8 ketones, 3 esters, 3 acids, 3 terpenes, and 1 heterocyclic compound, respectively. Among these, 1-pentanol M, 2-methylbutan-1-ol M, 2-methylbutan-1-ol D, and 1-hexanol M were identified as the volatile markers. Based on the VOC analysis using GC-IMS, effective differentiation of lotus seeds was achieved through chemometric techniques, such as principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA), and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). 2-furaldehyde D, hexanoic acid D, and 1-propanol M were found to be the most important components contributing to the differences among the five lotus seed samples. This research demonstrates that GC-IMS coupled with chemometric analysis provides valuable reference information for the identification and authenticity evaluation of lotus seeds, helping ensure their quality on the market and offering theoretical support for their identification and quality assessment.