Abstract:

Two waxy corn cultivars, namely ‘Jingtianzihuanuo No. 2’ and ‘Suyunuo No. 11’, were harvested at four time
points from day 14 to 33 after pollination and pulped freshly or after blanching. Volatile components of corn juice were
analyzed using solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) and sensory properties
were evaluated using quantitative analysis. Results showed that the major volatile components of the fresh samples were
aliphatic chain aldehydes, alcohols and ketones, with hexanal being the most dominant compound. At the same time, grassy
and green bean flavor were clearly perceived. The contents of aldehydes, alcohols and ketones were decreased after blanching
and dimethyl sulfide was detected as the most abundant compound. Moreover, the sensory properties of the blanched samples
were described as cooked immature corn or popcorn flavor. The fresh corn juice was unacceptable (1.57–2.00), while
blanched samples were acceptable (2.86–3.90). Correlation analysis showed that the high contents of hexanal and hexanol
of the fresh samples may contribute to the unacceptable odor while the typical corn flavor of the blanched samples may be
related to the reduced contents of aldehydes and alcohols and the formation of dimethyl sulfide. Factor analysis showed that
the earlier harvested corn was more obviously tender. The most tender corn was the blanched sample of ‘Jingtianzihuanuo
No. 2’ harvested at 14 d after pollination.

Key words: fresh waxy corn, volatile component, sensory property, correlation analysis