Abstract: The effect of storage temperature, packaging method and antioxidant on the off-odor of adlay seeds was examined and the off-flavor compounds of stored adlay seeds were measured by head space solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Meanwhile, optimization of storage conditions for inhibiting off-flavor formation in adlay seeds was carried out using orthogonal array design method. The results showed that off-flavor formation could be restrained by using the appropriate storage temperature, antioxidant and packaging method. The effects of the three factors on the off-flavor score of adlay seeds were in the following order: antioxidant > storage temperature > packaging method. The optimum conditions were determined as storage at 4 ℃ and opaque and vacuum packaging with addition of 0.01% blended antioxidants (BHA:TBHQ = 4:1). After 6 months of storage under the optimized conditions the off-flavor score was at the lowest level of 2.5.

Key words: adlay, off-flavor, storge, optimization