{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,13]],"date-time":"2026-01-13T05:19:07Z","timestamp":1768281547943,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"20","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]],"date-time":"2025-10-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760659200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Innovation Team of the Introduction and Education Plan for Young and Innovative Talents in Shandong Provincial University","award":["2021QCYY007"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2021QCYY007"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), valued for its health benefits and distinctive flavor, derives its characteristic aroma from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that vary significantly with geographical origin. In this study, VOCs in pomegranates from six Chinese geographical regions were characterized using an electronic nose (E-nose), an electronic tongue (E-tongue), headspace gas chromatography\u2013ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS), and headspace solid-phase microextraction\u2013gas chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). To elucidate geographical variations in odor, taste, and volatile profiles, a comprehensive multivariate statistical analysis integrating principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis, orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and variable importance in projection (VIP) was employed. The results demonstrated that the E-nose and E-tongue effectively distinguished pomegranate by geographical origin, with aroma contributing more significantly than taste to regional differentiation. A total of 46 and 58 VOCs were identified using HS-GC-IMS and HS-SPME-GC-MS, respectively, with different characteristic volatile compounds in pomegranate from various origins, and alkenes, esters, and alcohols were the primary contributors to regional variations. Notably, OPLS-DA revealed that HS-GC-IMS exhibited superior discriminatory power in separating pomegranates of different geographical origins, with HY and HL displaying closely related odor profiles while the other samples showed the most pronounced odor differences, but these findings contrasted with HS-SPME-GC-MS results. Additionally, the VIP method and the relative odor activity value (ROAV) further identified six and eight key aroma compounds based on HS-GC-IMS and HS-SPME-GC-MS data; in particular, hexanal, nonanal, \u03b2-pinene, 3-hydroxybutan-2-one, and \u03b2-ocimene were identified as key aroma compounds in pomegranate as potential regional markers. These findings highlight VOC profiles as potential geographical origin markers, supporting origin traceability and quality control in the pomegranate industry.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods14203546","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]],"date-time":"2025-10-17T16:13:03Z","timestamp":1760717583000},"page":"3546","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Identification of Key Aroma Substances in Pomegranate from Different Geographical Origins via Integrated Volatile Profiling and Multivariate Statistical Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Yanzhen","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Life Sciences, Linyi University, Linyi 276005, China"},{"name":"Department of Biotechnology, College of Engineering, The University of Suwon, Hwaseong 18323, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wenzhu","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Life Sciences, Linyi University, Linyi 276005, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Haitao","family":"Qu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang 277160, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lihua","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang 277160, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lingxiao","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Linyi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Linyi 276000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiaojie","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Life Sciences, Linyi University, Linyi 276005, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2118-6057","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yunguo","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Life Sciences, Linyi University, Linyi 276005, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1817","DOI":"10.2174\/1381612825666190708183941","article-title":"Composition and Potential Health Benefits of Pomegranate: A Review","volume":"25","author":"Trchounian","year":"2019","journal-title":"Curr. 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