## 1 Introduction  
Aprict (_Prunus armeniaca_ L.), a delicious table fruit, originated from China and later spread to Europe [1]. Nowadays, apricots were consumed worldwide, especially in Mediterranean countries such as Italy, France and Spain [1, 2]. Due to its pleasant flavor and abundant nutrition, apricots receive wide acceptance by consumers. In addition to being consumed as a fresh fruit, apricots have been processed into juices, pulps, jellies, etc. [3]. Due to its superior climate and characteristics of its geographical position suitable for apricot growth, Xinjiang has become one of the largest apricot-producing areas in China [4]. Apricot output in Xinjiang reached 933,088,000 kg in 2018, and has become an important part of the income for local cultivators [5]. At present, apricots planted in Xinjiang include almost all the cultivars in China, but only a few species, such as Luopuhongdaike apricots, Xiaobai apricots and Semiaiti apricots, are indigenous to the Xinjiang region [6].  
As a table fruit, apricot possesses a palatable taste and a pleasant aroma. It was believed that the content of soluble sugars and organic acids contributed to fruit taste [7]. The concentrations of sugars and organic acids were greatly affected by apricot cultivar and maturity [1]. In addition, aroma compounds affected by cultivar and maturity also play a crucial role in the overall flavor and commercial value of apricots [8, 9]. Headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS/MS) has been widely used to identify volatile compounds in various fruits [10, 11].  
Besides delicious flavor, apricots contain a variety of nutritive compounds. There are 0.4 g proteins and 0.1 g lipids/100 g of fresh weight [12]. Apricot is also a rich source of soluble sugars, fiber, mineral elements (especially K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, P, Zn, Cu and Se) [13], vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin C, pantothenic acid, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin) [14; 15] and carotenoids (\(\beta\)-carotene, \(\beta\)-cryptoxanthin and \(\gamma\)-carotene) [16]. In addition, apricots have been shown to exert antioxidant activity, which is beneficial for human health [17]. In particular, polyphenols in apricot are one of the main sources of antioxidant activity. In a previous study, it was demonstrated that rutin, chlorogenic acids, (+)-catechin and (-)-epictechin were the dominant phenolic compounds in apricots [18].  
With the development of extraction and detection techniques, more than 300 volatile compounds have been characterized from various apricot cultivars in the southern Xinjiang region of China [5]. These volatiles were grouped into alcohols, acids, esters, aldehydes, lactones and terpenes based on their functional components. The difference in volatiles among the apricot varieties was very clear. However, there has been less work to find the volatile biomarkers responsible for the flavor in a given apricot cultivar. In the present study, HS-SPME-GC-MS/MS was used to analyze volatile compounds from four native apricot cultivars from Xinjiang. The biomarkers of the characteristic flavor in apricot were subsequently predicted based on multivariate analysis of volatile compounds. The result will provide much more useful information related to the volatile profile of apricots and help guide the practical production of apricot-flavored foods.