Sichuan pepper plays a vital role in enhancing the flavor of hotpot. However, the specific flavor compounds involved are still unclear. In this study, the key aroma components of Sichuan pepper tallow hotpot were explored. Six aroma attributes were evaluated by quantitative descriptive sensory analysis (QDA). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified 56 compounds. Among them, a total of 27 aroma-active compounds were identified by gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC-O) and aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA). Sixteen aroma-active compounds were determined using odor activity values (OAVs) ≥ 1. Linalool, linalyl acetate, D-limonene, sabinene, β-myrcene, eucalyptol, α-terpineol, terpinen-4-ol, acetic acid, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, (E)-2-heptenal, and others were identified as the key aroma compounds. Chemometrics analysis indicated that the aroma of green Sichuan pepper tallow hotpot was green, and the aroma of different red Sichuan pepper tallow hotpots varied significantly. The research results serve as a foundation for the quality control and production of the hotpot industry.

This study was performed to extract and separate the volatiles with solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and was conducted to analyze volatile odor compounds qualitatively and quantitatively in the production of a strong aroma tallow by mild oxidation. A total of 51 odor compounds were detected in the tallow smelted under different conditions. It was found that the high proportion of aldehydes was an important feature of the aroma components in the oxidized melted tallow, such as 1-hexanal, heptanal, nonanal, octanal, benzaldehyde, etc. Through the determination of various indicators, sensory evaluation, and the gas chromatography-olfaction–mass spectrometry (GC-O–MS) analysis and, in combination with response surface methodology, the optimal process parameters for oxidative smelting of tallow were determined as follows: a reaction temperature of 149.61 °C, a reaction time of 31.68 min, and an airflow rate of 97.44 L/h. The accelerated oxidation test further verified the quality of the oxidized tallow.