**Abstract**

The volatile compounds of *Vicia faba*. L var. minor and var. major seeds were evaluated by headspace-solid phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The total identification percentages of the extracted volatiles were 95.5% and 98.3%, respectively. The number of aroma compounds detected was 28. Among them, 15 compounds were determined in the emission of whole legume seeds of minor cultivar and 22 from the major one. The volatiles were classified into five chemical classes, i.e., monoterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, apocarotenes, and nonterpene derivatives. Aldehydes and alkanes were considered as the most abundant constituents in non-terpene derivatives, followed by esters, alcohols, phenols, phenones, and hydrocarbons. A wide difference in term of volatiles was observed between major and minor faba bean cultivars. This study can provide useful information about the specific volatile characteristics for each cultivar and its possible use in the conception of legume-based ingredients and for pertinent breeding programs.

**Keywords:** HS-SPME-GC-MS, aroma, faba bean minor, faba bean major, chemical classes, specific compounds
