Grey Dominance Evaluation of Neutral Fragrance Components and Sensory Quality in Flue-Cured Tobacco

Abstract

In order to discuss the relative importance of neutral fragrance components in the evaluation system of tobacco leaf quality, 140 samples of aging flue-cured tobacco leaf from the tobacco growing areas in southwest China produced in 2006 were selected for study. The furfural, furancarbinol, 2-furyl methyl ketone, 5-methyl-furfural, benzaldehyde, 6-methyl-5-heptene-2 ketone, benzyl alcohol, phenyl acetaldehyde, 2-acetyl pyrrole, linalool, phenethyl alcohol, indole, solanone, b-damascone, dihydro damascenone, b-ionone, geranyl acetone, dihydroactinidiolide, megastigmatrienone neophytadiene and farnesyl acetone and sensory quality of all samples were tested in the paper. Then we use grey dominance evaluation method to assess the relative importance of each index of neutral fragrance components from the aspect of aroma characteristics and taste characteristics of neutral fragrance components and sensory characteristics and the results showed that: substances imposing a relatively great impact on the aroma characteristics of the sensory quality were respectively geranyl acetone, dihydroactinidiolide, megastigmatrien-one and furancarbinol, etc., which constituted major factors that affected this characteristics. As for substances imposing a relatively great impact on the taste characteristics of the sensory quality were respectively geranyl acetone, dihydroactinidiolide, indole and megastigmatrienone etc., as major factors that affected this characteristics. Neophytadiene has a relatively weak impact on two characteristics of the sensory quality, as a secondary factor affecting the aroma and taste characteristics of the sensory quality. The use of grey dominance evaluation is effective to identify the neutral fragrance components indicators, which can be then brought in the tobacco leaf quality evaluation index system.