ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Food Sci. Technol.
Sec. Food Characterization
Can You Taste the Place? Building Regional Sensory Standards for Black Pepper with GC-MS and Sensory Perception
Provisionally accepted
Hoa Thi Thanh Tran1
Phuc Tuan Le1Hung Ngoc Pham1Dat Quoc Lai2Tuan Quoc Hoang1Quynh Thi To Cung1
Dzung Hoang Nguyen2*- 1School of Chemistry and Life sciences, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
- 2Faculty of Chemical Engineering, VNUHCM-Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Black pepper is a complex spice; its aroma reflects its geographical origin, chemical composition, and distinct characteristics. While gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and sensory analysis have been widely applied to beverages like wine, tea, and coffee, few studies have examined this dual approach in spices to objectively quantify geographical indication (GI) traits. This study aims to fill that gap by establishing specific sensory-chemical fingerprints for Vietnamese black pepper. Using descriptive sensory analysis and GC-MS, we identified significant regional variations in both aroma profiles and volatile compound composition. Among 11 sensory descriptors, 8 showed statistically significant differences between provinces. GC-MS revealed 117 volatile compounds, of which 106 were shared across all regions, forming a core chemical fingerprint. The strongest citrus and floral aromas were observed in Gia Lai samples, while Quang Tri peppers were defined by fatty and pungent notes. A strong RV coefficient (0.88) between sensory data and GC-MS results highlights the strong correlation between aroma perception and chemical composition. The implementation of these standardized regional aroma specifications has the potential to strengthen geographical indication (GI) applications and traceability systems not only for Vietnamese black pepper, but also for a wide range of spice and agriculture products globally.
Keywords: Black Pepper, GC–MS, Geographical indication, geographical origin, Sensory descriptive analysis
Received: 24 Jul 2025; Accepted: 02 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Tran, Le, Pham, Lai, Hoang, Cung and Nguyen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dzung Hoang Nguyen
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