BACKGROUND: Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) is a kind of subtropical fruit, but it has a very short shelf life under normal ambient conditions. In this work, a combination sampling method, including headspace solid phase micro‐extraction (HSSPME), simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE) and steam distillation (SD), was used to study the volatile profile characteristics of longan at the fresh and deteriorated storage phases followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) detection. The study would provide a method for investigating the volatile profile characteristics of longan during storage and some helpful clues for quality discrimination.RESULTS: In total, 28 and 22 volatile compounds of fresh and deteriorated longan were identified. Alkenes and esters were the main volatile components of longan. β‐ocimene accumulated, whereas allo‐ocimene and 3,4‐dimethyl‐2,4,6‐octatriene decreased during storage. Different volatile profile characteristics at the fresh and deteriorated storage phases obtained by HSSPME were specified by principal component analysis (PCA). Typical volatile compounds were distilled by a common model strategy.CONCLUSION: The volatile profiles of longan during storage were studied using a combination of sampling methods followed by GC‐MS detection. Five typical volatiles contributing significantly to the difference in volatile profile characteristics of longan at the fresh and deteriorated storage phases were distilled using a common model strategy. These compounds are potential bio‐markers for longan degradation. Tentative results suggest that combining HSSPME with conventional volatile isolation methods would provided more representative data on changes in the volatile compounds of longan during storage and some helpful clues for quality discrimination. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry

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