Abstract: Static headspace solid phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC × GC-MS) was used to analyze the changes of volatile compounds during the fermentation process of fish sauce. Samples were taken at different fermentation time points and used for comparison. The compounds whose contents obviously changed during fermentation were selected for comparison. A total of 116 compounds were identified by their mass spectra and retention indexes. Future, principal component analysis (PCA) and heat map were used to analyze the changes of volatile compounds. The results showed that the flavor of fish sauce could be clearly distinguished after 20 days of fermentation, indicating that the flavor compounds of fish sauce were mainly produced in the late stage of fermentation.

Key words: headspace solid phase micro-extraction; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; fish sauce; volatile compounds