Evaluation of the perceptual interaction among ester aroma compounds in cherry wines by GC–MS, GC–O, odor threshold and sensory analysis: An insight at the molecular level

The ester aroma profiles of five Chinese cherry wines and the perceptual interaction among esters were investigated in this study. 24 esters were identified by Gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). According to addition/omission analysis, seven volatile compounds among them were selected and studied using sensory profiling and multivariate statistic methods such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA). In sensory analysis, a significant reduction of olfactory threshold for total aromatic reconstitution was induced by the addition among each of them in Feller's additive model, which demonstrated their synergistic effects. The σ/τ plot showed that most of them were followed by a partial addition behavior. Furthermore, PCA indicated that the addition among each of them had a significant effect on fruity, floral, sweet and fermentation aroma intensity. Specifically, ethyl decanoate and methyl salicylate at sub-threshold concentrations were also likely to contribute to overall aroma. The results of perceptual interaction were mainly influenced by chemical structure and molecular polarity.