Abstract
The flavor of chili crisps (CC) was identified as a key factor in consumer acceptance. This research aimed to investigate the impact of different varieties of fresh chili on the volatile flavor compounds (VFC) of CC using analytical methods such as electronic nose (E-nose) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that oil content, crispiness, ΔE* and production rate of CC was significantly affected by moisture content, soluble protein content and soluble solids content of fresh chilies. ZH crisps had the highest production rate at 19.14%, while HCR had crisped the lowest oil content at 5.41% and DH crisps had the highest crispiness at 2201.46 g. E-nose analysis indicated comparable flavors for HCY, HCR, LS, BDQ and DH crisps, however, significant differences were observed in the flavors of ZP, HCR, LS, and ZH crisps. GC-MS analysis showed that the VFC present in CC fell into the categories including esters, terpenes, alkanes, and aldehydes. This study demonstrated that different varieties of fresh chili had a significant effect on the VFC of CC, providing useful knowledge and basic theory for the processing of CC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-025-06200-7.