To explore the impact of different storage methods on the volatile components and quality of Lycium chinensis, and screen suitable short-term storage conditions.

Taking fresh wolfberry fruit as a control, 3 kinds of storage treatments were set up: Room temperature, low temperature (4 ℃) and freezing. Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectroscopy technology was used to identify volatile components, and the content of polysaccharides, total phenols, carotenoids, malondialdehyde (MDA) and sensory quality were determined.Combined with orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis and Pearson correlation analysis, the correlation between component changes and quality was revealed.

A total of 52 kinds of volatile components were identified, among which alcohols and esters were characteristic aroma substances, which were significantly positively correlated with polysaccharides, total phenols, carotenoids, color and taste, and significantly negatively correlated with MDA; storage at room temperature promoted the accumulation of aldehydes and ketones, increased MDA, and significantly deteriorated nutritional and sensory quality; low-temperature storage could effectively inhibit the deterioration process. The volatile components were highly similar to fresh fruits. The retention rates of total phenols and carotenoids reached 89.22% and 85.72% respectively, and the sensory quality was the best; frozen storage caused serious aroma loss due to ice crystal damage, and the quality declined significantly.

The 4 ℃ low temperature storage can significantly inhibit lipid peroxidation and aroma degradation, which is an ideal method for short-term storage of Lycium chinensis.