Effect of Drying and Storage on the Volatile Compounds of Jujube Fruit Detected by Electronic Nose and GC-MS

Dried jujube fruit has been wildly used as flavoring in food preparation and food industry because of its unique and exquisite flavor. However, there is limited information available on the formation and alteration of jujube flavor during drying and storage. In this study, the effects of drying and storage on the volatiles in jujube fruit were investigated by electronic nose and GC-MS. Electronic nose and GC-MS could distinguish different jujube samples clearly; the ester and aldehydes showed significant decreases during drying, while furans and pyrazines were generated and increased with heat time; the esters, aldehydes, furans and pyrazines showed significant decreases, and some of them even disappeared during storage, while acids and terpenes increased with the extension of storage. Based on the present results, furans and pyrazines, generated during drying, are the predominant components of the unique and exquisite flavor of dried jujube, and these compounds could be negatively influenced because of evaporation, oxidation and degradation of jujube volatiles during storage.