Identification of the Key Aroma Compounds in Condensed Hardwood Smoke

The aroma composition of condensed hardwood smoke generated from a mixed hardwood was characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry analysis. Twenty-seven odorants with a flavor dilution value ≥4 were identified and quantified, revealing 19 compounds reported with an odor activity value >1 at a 0.3% dosage level. The odorants with the highest dilution values were 2,3-butanedione (buttery), guaiacol (clove, vanilla), 4-methylguaiacol (toasted, vanilla, ashy), 3-ethylphenol (ashy), 4-methylsyringol (burnt, plastic, clove), and butyric acid (cheesy). Sensory descriptive analysis revealed that the condensed smoke consisted of eight main attributes, namely ashy, burnt-sulfurous, creosote, green-woody, pungent, smoky, spicy-sweet, and woody. No significant differences in the aroma attributes were reported between the condensed smoke and the corresponding recombination model, indicating that the odorants effectively captured the characteristic aroma of the condensed smoke.