Semi-Quantitative and Qualitative Distinction of Aromatic and Flavour Compounds in Charcoal Grilled, Electric Barbecue Grilled, Infrared Grilled and Superheated-Steam Roasted Lamb Meat Patties Using GC/MC, E-nose and E-tongue

Key aroma compounds associated with umami perception of MSG in fried Takifugu obscurus liver

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a basic representative of umami taste, but it exerts adverse effects as reported in several studies. Enhancing umami perception through aroma-taste interactions is a potentially useful approach as a flavor enhancer to reduce future MSG intake. We identified the aroma compounds in fried Takifugu obscurus liver, then studied the effect of aroma compounds on perceived umami taste using the sensomics approach. A total of 117 volatile compounds were identified from the fried liver. Thereinto, 30 volatile compounds related to five basic tastes were detected by gas chromatography/olfactometry-associated taste analysis. Aroma compounds associated umami, sweet and salty perception in the fried Takifugu obscurus liver showed the potential to enhance umami perception of MSG solutions. Three aldehydes, i.e. heptanal, (Z)-4-heptenal and 2-methylbutanal, significantly enhanced the umami intensity perception of an MSG solution (p < 0.05). The use of aroma compounds to enhance umami perception is considered as a promising tool, further broadening the research area of umami science for application as flavor enhancers in the food industry. In addition, this study also provides an insight into revealing aroma-taste interaction.

Firewood as a tool to valorize meat: A sensory and instrumental approach to grilled veal, lamb, and pork meat

Two firewood species (beech and olive) were used for grilling three meat types (lamb, pork, and veal) to assess their influence on the sensorial properties of meat. A multimethod approach was adopted, including sensory evaluation with consumers and two analytical techniques to characterize the volatile fraction (Solid-Phase Micro-Extraction Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry [SPME-GC/MS] and electronic nose [e-nose]). The sensory session included three pairwise preference tests (one for each type of meat), an overall liking test, a Rate-All-That-Apply test, and a questionnaire on the interest and perceived value of using sustainably certified firewood in food preparation. The firewood species significantly affected the perception of a few crucial attributes. In particular, olive wood increased the roasted meat flavor perception in lamb and veal, while beech wood increased the perceived intensity of a vegetable/herbaceous flavor in veal. No effect of firewood was observed on preference within each pair of meat samples. Lamb was the significantly most liked meat by consumers, followed by pork; veal was the least liked meat type. Positive and negative drivers of preference were discussed. 36 volatile organic compounds were identified from SPME-GC/MS in meats. Congruently with sensory data, the two veal samples showed a greater distance in terms of volatile composition. Relative distances among samples on maps obtained from SPME-GC/MS and the e-nose were similar. This multi-method approach innovatively showed the potential of using firewood as a 'gastronomic' tool to sensorially characterize and valorize cooked meat.

Effect of Seawater Curing Agent on the Flavor Profile of Dry-Cured Bacon Determined by Sensory Evaluation, Electronic Nose, and Fatty Composition Analysis

The purpose of this study was to check the applicability of seawater as a natural curing agent by analyzing the difference it causes in the flavor of dry-aged bacon. Pork belly was cured for seven days, and dried and aged for twenty-one days. The curing methods included the following: wet curing with salt in water, dry curing with sea salt, brine curing with brine solution, and bittern curing with bittern solution. The seawater-treated groups showed a lower volatile basic nitrogen value than the sea-salt-treated groups (p < 0.05); dry curing showed a higher thiobarbituric acid reactive substance value than other treatments (p < 0.05). Methyl- and butane- volatile compounds and polyunsaturated fatty acids such as g-linolenic and eicosapentaenoic were the highest in the bittern-cured group, lending it superior results compared to those of the control and other treatments in sensory flavor analyses (cheesy and milky). Therefore, bittern is considered to have significant potential as a food-curing agent.

Chemical Composition Analysis and Discrimination of Essential Oils of Artemisia Argyi Folium from Different Germplasm Resources Based on Electronic Nose and GC/MS Combined with Chemometrics

In this study, the electronic nose and GC/MS were used to analyze the chemical components of essential oils from different germplasm resources of Artemisia argyi Folium (A. argyi), in order to quickly identify essential oils of A. argyi from different germplasm resources and clarify the differences among different A. argyi samples. The essential oils of A. argyi were extracted by steam distillation. This article describes for the first time that electronic nose combined with chemometrics can distinguish the essential oils of A. argyi from different germplasm, which proves the reliability and potential of this technology. GC/MS was used to identify 134 volatile components from the essential oil of A. argyi. The main bioactive components were cineole, thujarone, artemisia ketone, β-caryophyllene, (-)-4-terpinol, 3,3,6-trimethyl-1,5-heptadien-4-ol, (-)-α-thujone, camphor, borneol. In addition, the results of principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) showed that there were significant differences in the essential oils of A. argyi from different germplasm resources, terpenes, alcohols and ketones played an important role in identifying the essential oils of A. argyi from different germplasm resources. This indicates that electronic nose and GC/MS combined with chemometrics can be used as reliable techniques to identify different germplasm resources of A. argyi, and provide certain reference value for quality evaluation, selection of high-quality varieties and rational development of resources of A. argyi.