Abstract: The volatile compounds from fresh and dried Allium cepa L. were extracted by solid phase micro-extraction and the volatile composition profiling were analyzed by GC-MS combined with computer-assisted library search. Results showed that a total of 49 types of volatile compounds were identified from the fresh and dried Allium cepa L. 30, 28, 28, 25 types of volatile compounds were identified from 4 samples, which accounted for 94.25%, 96.01%, 83.40% and 86.11% of the total peak areas in four samples. These compounds were mainly sulfur compounds, alcohols, aldehyde, ester and other chemical groups. There was significant difference in volatile compound pattern and their relative contents from fresh and dried Allium cepa L.

Key words: Allium cepa L., volatile compounds, SPME, GC-MS