Comparative Study on Taste and Odor Flavor Compounds of Chrysanthemums from Five Different Varieties Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, GC-MS, E-Tongue, E-Nose, and Chemometrics

Hu, Guizhou; Li, Xinqi; Qin, Geng; Ben, Ailing; Qi, Jin

doi:10.3390/foods15183328

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Comparative Study on Taste and Odor Flavor Compounds of Chrysanthemums from Five Different Varieties Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, GC-MS, E-Tongue, E-Nose, and Chemometrics

by

Guizhou Hu

^1,2,†,

Xinqi Li

^1,3,†

,

Geng Qin

¹,

Ailing Ben

^4,* and

Jin Qi

^1,*

¹

School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China

²

School of Pharmacy, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu 233030, China

³

Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Taxonomy, Resource Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, China

⁴

Nanjing Key Laboratory of Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products, College of Food Science, Nanjing XiaoZhuang University, Nanjing 211171, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Foods 2026, 15(18), 3328; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15183328 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 11 August 2026 / Revised: 11 September 2026 / Accepted: 17 September 2026 / Published: 19 September 2026

(This article belongs to the Section Food Analytical Methods)

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Abstract

A practical strategy was established for distinguishing five varieties of Chrysanthemums by combining E-tongue, E-nose, GC-MS, and LC-Q-TOF-MS. A total of 19 low molecule fraction compounds and 26 volatile fraction compounds were identified as the common peaks. Chemometrics were used to screen the characteristic compounds of the five varieties of Chrysanthemums. E-tongue and E-nose were used to distinguish the taste and odor of the five varieties of Chrysanthemum, respectively. The Hangju variety had the richest taste flavor and the weakest aroma, while the Huaiju variety had the strongest odor of pine, woody, floral, and fruity aroma. The study found that 3, 5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 1, 5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, luteolin-7-β-D-glucoside, and 4, 5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were the principal taste flavor components based on Gray Relational Analysis (GRA) and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR). α-pinene, camphene, γ-terpinene, camphor, etc. were identified as the principal volatile flavor components based on Spearman’s rank correlation. The combination of chemometrics and intelligent sensory technology presents a potential technique for analyzing the flavor of chrysanthemums and other food products.

Keywords: Chrysanthemums; UPLC-Q-TOF-MS; GC-MS; E-tongue; E-nose; chemometrics

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MDPI and ACS Style

Hu, G.; Li, X.; Qin, G.; Ben, A.; Qi, J. Comparative Study on Taste and Odor Flavor Compounds of Chrysanthemums from Five Different Varieties Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, GC-MS, E-Tongue, E-Nose, and Chemometrics. Foods 2026, 15, 3328. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15183328

AMA Style

Hu G, Li X, Qin G, Ben A, Qi J. Comparative Study on Taste and Odor Flavor Compounds of Chrysanthemums from Five Different Varieties Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, GC-MS, E-Tongue, E-Nose, and Chemometrics. Foods. 2026; 15(18):3328. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15183328

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hu, Guizhou, Xinqi Li, Geng Qin, Ailing Ben, and Jin Qi. 2026. "Comparative Study on Taste and Odor Flavor Compounds of Chrysanthemums from Five Different Varieties Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, GC-MS, E-Tongue, E-Nose, and Chemometrics" Foods 15, no. 18: 3328. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15183328

APA Style

Hu, G., Li, X., Qin, G., Ben, A., & Qi, J. (2026). Comparative Study on Taste and Odor Flavor Compounds of Chrysanthemums from Five Different Varieties Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, GC-MS, E-Tongue, E-Nose, and Chemometrics. Foods, 15(18), 3328. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15183328

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Comparative Study on Taste and Odor Flavor Compounds of Chrysanthemums from Five Different Varieties Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, GC-MS, E-Tongue, E-Nose, and Chemometrics

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