Effect of Freeze-Chilled Treatment on Flavor of Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) Fillets and Soups During Short-Term Storage

Sea Bass Fish Head Broth Treated by Thermo-Ultrasonication: Improving the Nutritional Properties and Emulsion Stability

This work investigated the underlying mechanism of thermo-ultrasonic treatment to improve the nutritional properties and emulsion stability of sea bass fish head broth. The effects of ultrasonication on the processing of fish broth were compared with boiling water treatment. The nutritional properties of fish broth mainly include protein, fat, total sugar, 5'-nucleotide and free amino acid content. To achieve a similar effect of nutrient extraction, the thermo-ultrasonic treatment required a shorter time (30 min) than boiling water (120 min). The water-soluble protein, fat and total sugar contents were at their maximum at 120 min of the thermo-ultrasonic treatment. In particular, the fat content increased with the time of thermo-ultrasonic treatment from 0.58% to 2.70%. The emulsion structure of the fish soup was characterized by measuring its color and particle size, using optical microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy, and determining its storage stability. Thermo-ultrasonic treatment reduced the particle size of the fish broth emulsion and the fat globules became smaller and more homogeneous. Ultrasonication not only accelerated the nutritional and flavor content of the fish head broth, but also reduced the particle size and enhanced the stability of the emulsified system of the fish broth. The fish head tissue was more severely disrupted by the cavitation effect of an ultrasound, and nutrients migrated more and faster. This was mainly due to the cavitation and mechanical breaking force of the ultrasound on the fish head tissue and the fat globules of the fish broth. Altogether, these findings suggest that the thermo-ultrasonic treatment technique is useful for processing nutrient-rich, storage-stable and ready-to-eat fish head broth.

Unraveling the flavor profiles of chicken meat: Classes, biosynthesis, influencing factors in flavor development, and sensory evaluation

Chicken is renowned as the most affordable meat option, prized by consumers worldwide for its unique flavor, and universally recognized for its essential savory flavor. Current research endeavors are increasingly dedicated to exploring the flavor profile of chicken meat. However, there is a noticeable gap in comprehensive reviews dedicated specifically to the flavor quality of chicken meat, although existing reviews cover meat flavor profiles of various animal species. This review aims to fill this gap by synthesizing knowledge from published literature to describe the compounds, chemistry reaction, influencing factors, and sensory evaluation associated with chicken meat flavor. The flavor compounds in chicken meat mainly included water-soluble low-molecular-weight substances and lipids, as well as volatile compounds such as aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, acids, esters, hydrocarbons, furans, nitrogen, and sulfur-containing compounds. The significant synthesis pathways of flavor components were Maillard reaction, Strecker degradation, lipid oxidation, lipid-Maillard interaction, and thiamine degradation. Preslaughter factors, including age, breed/strain, rearing management, muscle type, and sex of chicken, as well as postmortem conditions such as aging, cooking conditions, and low-temperature storage, were closely linked to flavor development and accounted for the significant differences observed in flavor components. Moreover, the sensory methods used to evaluate the chicken meat flavor were elaborated. This review contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the flavor profile of chicken meat. It can serve as a guide for enhancing chicken meat flavor quality and provide a foundation for developing customized chicken products.

Identification of novel biomarkers in chilled and frozen chicken using metabolomics profiling and its application

Merchants used frozen chicken to pass it off as chilled chicken, resulting in Economically Motivated Adulteration incidents. Here in this work, firstly, we established OPLS-DA and OPLS-R models based on metabolomics to obtain differential metabolites in chilled and frozen chicken (with different storage times), the PLS-DA model based on above differential compounds could achieve accuracy of 91% (training) and 100% (testing) for the adulteration identification of uncooked chilled and frozen chicken. Secondly, cooking study was carried out to identify the discrepancy of the cooked chilled and frozen chicken. Higher nicotinamide, o-acetyl-l-carnitine, hypoxanthine, and IMP levels indicated better nutrition quality and more desirable flavor in chilled chicken nuggets, while higher bitter and sour peptides in frozen chicken nuggets indicated the loss of freshness.

Enhanced flavor strength of broth prepared from chicken following short-term frozen storage

This study investigated the effect of frozen storage periods (0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 weeks) of raw meat and stewing on the flavor of chicken broth. With the increased storage duration of frozen raw material, the contents of the free amino acids, nucleotides and mineral elements in the broth decreased significantly, especially within the first 4 weeks, and then increased significantly. Meanwhile, the volatile compounds showed the reverse trend. The results from the E-nose, E-tongue and sensory evaluation indicated a progressive difference in overall flavor profiles between the samples. The sensory scores of the meaty and fatty traits reached a maximum as raw chicken meat was stored for 4 weeks at -18 °C, which should be related to the increased contents of aldehydes and 2-pentyl furan. Overall, the limited storage duration of frozen raw meat can enhance the flavor of chicken broth.