Objective To establish an HPLC fingerprint profile and multi-indicator component quantification method for Pteria fucata (PF), and systematically evaluate the effects of different processing methods by combining chemometrics and electronic nose technology, and quality states on its main chemical components and odor characteristics. Additionally, correlation analysis was conducted to reveal the relationships between chemical markers and electronic nose responses, enabling a multidimensional comprehensive evaluation of PF quality. Methods HPLC was used to establish the chemical fingerprint profile of PF, and the contents of glutamic acid, glycine, taurine, and alanine were quantitatively determined. Chemometric methods, including cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA), were applied to evaluate chemical differences among different samples. An electronic nose was employed to capture olfactory information, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to construct a model linking chemical components with odor responses. Differences among samples processed by various methods and quality states were systematically compared. Results An HPLC fingerprint profile of PF was established, identifying four common peaks corresponding to taurine, glutamic acid, glycine, and alanine. Peaks 1, 9, 11, and 12 could distinguish between fresh PF microwave (XW) and spoiled PF microwave (FW) processing methods. The similarity of chemical fingerprints among 48 samples with different processing methods and quality states ranged from 0.793 to 1.000. The established fingerprint method demonstrated good specificity and could differentiate samples of varying quality and processing methods, providing a reliable tool for quality control and evaluation. CA and PCA results indicated certain differences among PF samples of varying quality and processing methods. Quantitative analysis showed that the fresh PF drying (XH) process best preserved multiple indicator components. Electronic nose detection effectively distinguished samples of different quality and processing methods. Correlation analysis revealed that glutamic acid was significantly positively correlated (P < 0.05) with electronic nose channels 1, 2, and 4, which are sensitive to alkanes and organic volatile compounds, indicating its potential as a core feature component linked to electronic nose responses. Conclusion This study is the first to combine HPLC fingerprinting, multi-indicator component quantification, and electronic nose technology to establish a stable and reliable comprehensive quality evaluation system for PF. The method exhibits good repeatability and discriminative ability, enabling effective assessment of PF quality in terms of chemical composition and volatile odor characteristics, particularly distinguishing fresh from spoiled states. The fresh PF drying (XH) process maximizes the retention of key amino acids such as glutamic acid while maintaining odor stability, making it a superior processing method balancing component preservation and quality control.

Pteria fucata (Dunker)  /  HPLC  /  fingerprint  /  electronic nose  /  chemometrics  /  processing method  /  quality evaluation  /  taurine  /  glutamic acid  /  glycine  /  alanine