Suitability Evaluation of Different Varieties of Lotus Rhizome for Lotus Rhizome Balls

In order to explore the influence of lotus rhizome varieties on the quality of lotus seed, six main varieties of lotus root were selected to prepare lotus seed, and their surface color, texture characteristics, water content and fat content were measured. The volatile flavor components of lotus seed were analyzed by electronic nose and headspace solid phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). Finally, combined with sensory score, comprehensive evaluation was carried out. The results showed that the brightness values L^* and b^* of 'Lulinhu' rhizome balls were significantly higher than that of the others (P<0.05), and the value a^* of 'Elian No.5' rhizome balls was the lowest among them. Lotus rhizome balls made from 'Elian No.5' possessed the highest texture quality among all the six samples, followed by that made from 'Hongya', 'Lulinhu', 'Miancheng', 'Elian No.6' and 'Xinken'. The lotus rhizome balls made from 'Lulinhu' possessed the highest moisture content and fat content. The lotus rhizome balls made from 'Xinken' had the lowest moisture content and fat content. Among the six mainly-planted variety of lotus rhizomes, lotus rhizome balls made from 'Elian No.5' features a relatively high moisture content and a moderate fat content. The result of HS-SPME-GC-MS showed that there were a total of 104 volatile flavor components found in lotus rhizome balls, mainly including esters, aldehydes and phenols. The content of aldehydes in lotus rhizome balls made from 'Elian No.5' and 'Miancheng' was higher than that in the other four varieties of lotus rhizome balls. The findings of the E-nose showed that the key flavor compounds from six kinds of lotus rhizome balls were similar, but there was a slightly different, among them the overall flavor of the lotus rhizome balls made from 'Elian No.5' was slightly better than that made from the other varieties and the lotus rhizome balls made from 'Elian No.5' achieved the highest score in the sensory evaluation. The lotus rhizome balls made from different varieties of lotus rhizomes possessed different flavors and qualities. Among the lotus rhizome balls made from the lotus rhizomes used in this work, the lotus rhizome ball from 'Elian No.5' showed the best quality.