Abstract:Ten quality indicators of cluster red pepper samples from five different regions were measured to analyze the significant differences in these indicators.A comprehensive evaluation model was established for the overall quality assessment of cluster red pepper，followed by cluster analysis of the varieties.The results showed that there were varying degrees of differences among the quality indicators of cluster red pepper.66，64，62，66，and 60 types of volatile substances were detected in HS-1 to HS-5，respectively，each containing 8，12，6，9，and 12 unique substances.Among the five types of cluster red pepper，there were 27 common volatile substances.The β-pinene was the most abundant volatile substance in HS-1，HS-2，and HS-5，while hexadecane was the most abundant in HS-3 and HS-4.Based on the 10 quality indicators of cluster red pepper，principal component analysis extracted three principal components.These three principal components were used to comprehensively evaluate the quality of cluster red pepper，and the optimal variety was determined to be HS-1.This study was expected to serve as guidance for chili breeding and selecting high-quality raw materials for processing.