Abstract: In order to study changes in the characteristic flavor of ultra-high temperature sterilized (UHT) milk under the influence of storage temperature and light, headspace solid phase microextraction (SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to detect the volatile flavor components of the product. Descriptive sensory evaluation, orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and entropy weight method were used to determine the relationship between major characteristic flavors and characteristic substances. The effects of temperature and light flux on the flavor changes of different formulations of UHT milk were analyzed, and a model for comprehensive analysis of the characteristic flavors of UHT milk was developed based on the effects of initial unsaturated fatty acid content, temperature and light flux. The results of this research provide support for the quality control of different formulations of UHT milk.

Key words: ultra-high temperature sterilized milk; characteristic flavor; prediction model; light flux; entropy weight method