Decoding flavor diversity in lemon varieties: a multivariate flavoromics approach coupled with statistical analysis...

Lemon is widely valued for its bioactive components and unique flavor, which are influenced by diverse volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study implemented flavoromics, a comprehensive profiling of flavor, combining non-volatile flavor with E-nose, HS-SPME-GC--MS, HS-GC-IMS, relative odor activity value (ROAV), and multivariate statistical analysis to systematically characterize the aroma profiles of five lemon varieties (Rough lemon, Key lime, Eureka lemon, Tahiti lime, and Rosso lemon). A total of 44 and 50 VOCs were identified by HS-SPME-GC-MS and HS-GC-IMS, respectively. Strikingly, 50 aroma-active compounds and 38 differential markers were identified as critical drivers of flavor divergence, including some trace VOCs that exhibited disproportionately high odor contributions. The complementarity of above methods demonstrated high accuracy in lemon varietal discrimination, with Rough lemon and Rosso lemon exhibiting the most divergent profiles. This study provides a robust methodological framework for lemon flavor characterization and offers insights into the chemical basis of aroma differences.