Comparative Aroma Profile Analysis and Development of a Sensory Aroma Lexicon of Seven Different Varieties of Flammulina velutipes

Flammulina Velutipes (F. velutipes) is widely planted all over the world and is rich in nutrients, which is of great benefit to the human body. However, the research on the aroma of F. velutipes is relatively rare, which limits the application of F. velutipes in deep processing, resulting in a single product and edible method of F. velutipes. The purpose of this study was to find out the aroma compounds contributing to the sensory properties of F. velutipes to promote the application of different varieties of F. velutipes in deep processing. Aromas of 7 species of F. velutipes were described and evaluated by sensory evaluation experiment. The volatile compounds in seven kinds of F. velutipes were detected by headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 74 volatile compounds were found, including 23 alcohols, 5 aldehydes, 2 phenols, 1 acid, 16 esters, 7 ketones, 1 ether, 13 hydrocarbons, 1 sulfide, 1 acyl compound, and 4 heterocyclic compounds. It was also found that the sensory evaluation results of sample F, C, and E had a high correlation with the content of compound, and the correlation between sample B and sample A was also high. A lexicon for describing aroma attributes of F. velutipes was developed and they could be grouped into categories, such as fruity (apple-like, banana-like, cucumber-like, citrus-like and berry-like), alcoholic (whisky-like, fermented fruit-like), milky (creamy-like), floral (hyacinth-like, phoenix-like, iris-like and mint-like), sulfurous (onion-like), and musty (mud-like). This research will provide a theoretical basis for the future study of F. velutipes aroma and the development and application of F. velutipes products.