Key aroma and smoke components influencing sensory quality of heated tobacco products

Heated tobacco products (HTPs) sensory quality depends jointly on the components of the tobacco raw materials and the smoke. However, the relationships among tobacco leaf aroma components, heated tobacco smoke components and sensory quality remain unclear. In this study, flue-cured tobacco, sun-cured yellow tobacco and sun-cured red tobacco from multiple producing regions were selected as raw materials for HTPs. Aroma components in tobacco leaf powder and key smoke components were determined by chromatographic methods. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was used to characterize differences among tobacco types and to screen key components in leaf powder and smoke components. Pearson correlation and canonical correlation analysis (CCA) were applied to explore the relationships between aroma components and sensory quality. Some fatty acids, polyphenols, neutral aroma components and nitrogen-containing components were identified as key components to sensory quality. Palmitic acid and chlorogenic acid were positively correlated with overall sensory scores and negatively correlated with irritancy, dryness, and bitterness. In contrast, citric acid, and several furan and nitrogen-containing components were associated with enhanced negative sensory quality. These key aroma components were associated with most of the variability in HTPs sensory quality, providing a practical basis for raw material screening and product optimization.