Identification and analysis of volatile flavor compounds in waxberry brandy under different aging temperatures based on HS - SPME/GC - MS

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This study aimed to accelerate the aging process of waxberry brandy by modulating storage temperatures to shorten maturation time while improving flavor quality. Three aging methods were applied for 84 days: constant temperature aging at 25 °C (NT), variable temperature aging (CT, alternating between 40 °C for 12 h and 4 °C for 12 h daily), and constant high-temperature aging at 40 °C (HT). Volatile flavor compounds during maturation were analyzed using headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS), identifying 97 compounds. Results showed that the NT group exhibited the highest total alcohol content (4658.72 μg/L), while CT yielded the lowest (1907.37 μg/L). Although NT contained the most ester species , CT achieved the highest total ester concentration (1780.18 μg/L), with marked dynamic variations in ethyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl decanoate, and ethyl laurate during CT. ROAV calculation of volatile flavor compounds revealed that characteristic aroma compounds with ROAV > 10 were all esters, alcohols, and terpenes. Ethyl palmitate and ethyl octanoate exhibited larger and relatively stable ROAV values.These findings demonstrate that variable temperature aging effectively enhances ester synthesis and accelerates maturation, offering a promising strategy for optimizing waxberry brandy production. This work provides technical guidance for the fruit wine industry to innovate aging processes and improve production efficiency. • Application of variable-temperature aging of waxbarry brandy • Temperature is effective in promoting the production of volatile flavor compounds in waxbarry brandy • Important volatile flavor compounds in waxbarry brandy are esters and alcohols • This study helps to shorten the aging time of waxbarry brandy