Aroma profiling and volatile fingerprinting of commercial caviar (Acipenser baerii and Acipenser gueldenstaedtii)

The odorant composition and static headspace PTR-MS profiles of two commercial caviar samples (Acipenser baerii and Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) were investigated. A combined sensory-instrumental investigation applying solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE), gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry (GC-GC-MS/O) revealed a total of 123 odorants in the undiluted extracts, of which 87 compounds were identified. Among these, 34 odorants showed a high flavor dilution (FD) factor, with notable differences observed between the two caviar types. Furthermore, sensory analysis described the aroma of both samples as “fishy”, “fatty”, “seawater-like/algae-like”, “green/grassy”, and “wheat-like”. However, the intensities of these descriptors did not differ significantly between samples. Yet, the sensory attributes aligned well with the smells of the identified odorants. Finally, a fast headspace method using proton-transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) discriminated the investigated caviar samples based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA). This study provides valuable insights into the odorant profiles contributing to caviar flavor quality and highlights the benefits and limitations of PTR-MS as a rapid tool for volatile-based quality control in the caviar industry.