Qualitative analysis of key aroma components in Salvia sclarea L.essential oil using GC-MS-O-dual column

To identify the key aroma components in Salvia sclarea L. essential oil and construct its flavor profile, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry (GC-MS-O) techniques were employed. These techniques combine dual-column (ZB-5 and ZB-WAX) systems to qualitatively analyze the aroma components in Salvia sclarea L. essential oil, followed by a quantitative analysis using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in selected reaction monitoring (GC-MS-MS-SRM) mode. The key aroma components were screened based on their odor thresholds. The results showed that: 1) A total of 27 aroma-active compounds were olfactorily discriminated using two chromatographic columns, eight of which were detected by both columns. 2) These aroma-active compounds could be systematically classified into four major aroma categories: floral, fruity, herbal and woody. These categories jointly formed the flavor profile of Salvia sclarea L. essential oil. Floral and fruity compounds were more abundant, exhibiting higher flavor dilution (FD) factors, whereas herbal and woody compounds were less abundant, exhibiting lower FD factors. 3) The odor activity values (OAVs) of the 17 key aroma compounds were all higher than 1. The dominant compounds representing the floral, fruity, herbal and woody aromas were linalool, linalyl acetate, myrcene and β-caryophyllene, respectively.