Sensory characteristics and antioxidant activity of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. pericarps.

Zanthoxylum bungeanum extracts were prepared using seven solvents: water, methanol, ethanol, acetic acid, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and benzene. The volatile composition in the extracts was qualitatively analyzed using headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography mass spectrometry detection, and the alkylamide composition was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. The extract compositions differed with respect to the solvents. A total of 49 volatile components belonging to four groups, terpenoids, alcohols, esters, and ketones, were identified in the extracts. The Z. bungeanum extracts were either ester or terpenoid type, dominated by linalyl acetate. The extracts were divided into three distinct groups based on principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis. Water, methanol, and ethanol extracts could be applied in the food and pharmaceutical industries.