Identification of characteristic aroma components of butter from Chinese butter hotpot seasoning

Revealing key aroma compounds and the potential metabolic pathways in sea buckthorn berries

To clarify the aromatic compounds of sea buckthorn and their formation pathways, the key aroma compounds in Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. sinensis were determined first. There were 21 compounds identified as the key aroma components (e.g. ethyl isovalerate, ethyl caproate, ethyl octanoate, 1-hexanol, 1-nonanol, phenylethyl alcohol, nonanal, 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-one) of sea buckthorn, which were mainly composed of esters and alcohols. There were obvious differences in the composition of compounds among Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. sinensis (SI, SS) and Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. thibetana (TS). Esters were the main volatiles of Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. sinensis (SI, SS), while alcohols were the main volatiles of Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. thibetana (TS), which resulted in a lack of overall aromas in TS and a strong fruity and winy odor in SI and SS. The aroma of sea buckthorn could be reproduced well by analyzing key aroma components. Additionally, oleic acid, linoleic acid, leucine, phenylalanine, lycopene, and other compounds generated key aroma compounds by fatty acid oxidation pathway, amino acid degradation pathway, mevalonic acid pathway, methylerythritol phosphate pathway, carotenoid degradation pathway. Therefore, the key aroma compounds in sea buckthorn berries and their metabolic pathways were studied in the paper, which provided the research basis for genetic breeding and fine processing of sea buckthorn.

Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysate process of Volvariella volvacea and analysis of volatile flavor compounds in Maillard reaction

BACKGROUND

Edible fungi seasoning not only enhances umami flavor but also improves nutritional value in the production of traditional Chinese cuisine. Volvariella volvacea is a typical tropical and subtropical tasty edible fungus, with an annual production in China reaching 330, 000 tons, accounting for 80% of the global yield. Therefore, the high-value utilization of V. volvacea has become one of the current research hotspots. This study aimed to determine the optimal reaction conditions for the enzymatic hydrolysate and Maillard reaction (MR) products of V. volvacea and to identify the odor compounds in the enzymatic hydrolysate and MR products of V. volvacea to enhance the umami taste of V. volvacea.

RESULTS

The optimal conditions for enzymatic hydrolysate were a solid/liquid ratio of 1:10, pH 5.5, enzyme concentration of 4000 U g-1 (cellulase:Protamex™ = 1:1), a cellulase hydrolysis time of 90 min, followed by ProtamexTM hydrolysis for 120 min, resulting in optimal umami. An MR was performed to further release umami compounds in V. volvacea. The optimal conditions for the MR were determined to be 3% xylose, 5% cysteine, 110 °C, 80 min, and pH 6.0. Finally, odor compounds before and after the MR of V. volvacea were analyzed using two-dimensional gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry. The results revealed that chicoric ketone (sweet) was the most abundant (125.78 ± 11.71 μg kg-1), followed by furfural (bread; 107.21 ± 2.83 μg kg-1) and 2-methylfuran (chocolate; 90.27 ± 2.66 μg kg-1).

CONCLUSION

This study provides more information for further studies on the umami compounds of V. volvacea and a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of V. volvacea. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Advances in Food Aroma Analysis: Extraction, Separation, and Quantification Techniques

Decoding the aroma composition plays a key role in designing and producing foods that consumers prefer. Due to the complex matrix and diverse aroma compounds of foods, isolation and quantitative analytical methods were systematically reviewed. Selecting suitable and complementary aroma extraction methods based on their characteristics can provide more complete aroma composition information. Multiple mass spectrometry detectors (MS, MS/MS, TOF-MS, IMS) and specialized detectors, including flame ionization detector (FID), electron capture detector (ECD), nitrogen-phosphorus detector (NPD), and flame photometric detector (FPD), are the most important qualitative technologies in aroma identification and quantification. Furthermore, the real-time monitoring of aroma release and perception is an important developing trend in the aroma perception of future food. A combination of artificial intelligence for chromatographic analysis and characteristic databases could significantly improve the qualitative analysis efficiency and accuracy of aroma analysis. External standard method and stable isotope dilution analysis were the most popular quantification methods among the four quantification methods. The combination with flavoromics enables the decoding of aroma profile contributions and the identification of characteristic marker aroma compounds. Aroma analysis has a wide range of applications in the fields of raw materials selection, food processing monitoring, and products quality control.

Potential of beef tallow/palm oil blend as Chongqing hotpot oil from a physicochemical and flavor perspective

Beef tallow is an important raw material in Chongqing hotpot seasoning but raises great concern on health due to the cholesterol issue. Herein, palm oil was expected to replace beef tallow at weight ratios of 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2 without reducing hotpot flavor. The blending of palm oil to beef tallow effectively decreased cholesterol content to 33.20 mg 100 g-1, as well as the level of saturated fatty acids to 50 % in hotpot oil. The fading in brightness and yellowness of oil models occurred owing to heat treatment. The blending oil at 2:1 showed similar hardness, melting and crystallization behaviors to beef tallow, probably due to the similar fat crystal network. The volatile compounds of hotpot seasoning made from the oil were closer to that from neat beef tallow. These findings may provide a new strategy to develop healthier and tastier base oil for the production of Chongqing hotpot seasoning.

Decoding the Qu-aroma of medium-temperature Daqu starter by volatilomics, aroma recombination, omission studies and sensory analysis

Qu-aroma is of great significance for evaluation the quality of Daqu starter. This study aimed to decode the Qu-aroma of medium-temperature Daqu (MT-Daqu) via "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches. Firstly, 52 aroma descriptors were defined to describe the MT-Daqu aroma by quantitative descriptive analysis. Secondly, 193 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified from 42 MT-Daqu samples by HS-SPME-GC-MS, and 43 dominant VOCs were screened out by frequence of occurrence or abundance. By Thin Film (TF)-SPME-GC-O-MS, 27 odors and 90 VOCs were detected in MT-Daqu mixture, and 14 odor-active VOCs were screened out by odor intensity. Thirdly, a five-level MT-Daqu aroma wheel was constructed by matching 52 aroma descriptors and 37 aroma-active VOCs. Finally, Qu-aroma of MT-Daqu was reconstructed with 37 aroma-active VOCs and evaluated by omission experiments. Hereinto, 26 key aroma-active VOCs were determined by OAV value ≥1, including isovaleric acid, 1-hexanol, isovaleraldehyde, 2-octanone, trimethylpyrazine, γ-nonalactone, 4-vinylguaiacol, etc.

Comparison and elucidation of the changes in the key odorants of precooked stewed beef during cooking-refrigeration-reheating

The key odorants contributing to the warmed-over flavor (WOF) of reheated precooked stewed beef were characterized using a sensomics approach. Overall, 36 odorants were identified, and based on flavor dilution factors, odor activity values, aroma recombination, and omission test, 11 compounds mainly derived from lipid oxidation were characterized as the key odorants contributing to the formation of WOF. In particular, 3-(methylthio)propanal, which was positively correlated with meaty aroma, was implicated in an overall increase in WOF. Thus, these odorants were elected as potential markers of WOF in the reheated precooked stewed beef. In summary, the WOF of the precooked stewed beef could be attributed to an overall increase in lipid oxidation products and a decrease in the odorants with desirable aromas. The characterization of WOF in precooked stewed beef will aid in the flavor quality control of precooked stewed beef dishes.

Insights into the Volatile Flavor Profiles of Two Types of Beef Tallow via Electronic Nose and Gas Chromatography-Ion Mobility Spectrometry Analysis

In the current study, an electronic nose (E-nose) and gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) were employed to investigate the volatile flavor compounds (VFCs) of intense flavor beef tallow (L) and ordinary beef tallow (P). The study results indicate that an E-nose combined with an LDA and GC-IMS combined with an OPLS-DA can effectively distinguish between the two types of beef tallow. Compared with ordinary beef tallow, the E-nose sensors of intense flavor beef tallow have stronger response signals to sulfides, terpenes, and nitrogen oxides. A total of 22 compounds contribute to making the flavor of intense flavor beef tallow more typical and richer; in contrast, ethyl acetate was the main aroma-active compound found in the ordinary beef tallow. Sulfur-containing compounds and terpenoids might be the key substances that cause sensory flavor differences between the two types of beef tallow. In conclusion, the results of this study clarify the characteristics and differences of the two types of beef tallow and provide an enhanced understanding of the differences in the flavors of the two types of beef tallow.

Study on the relationship between flavor components and quality of ice wine during freezing and brewing of 'beibinghong' grapes

Ice wine has prominent fruity sweetness and unique, rich aroma compared to wine. The sweetness was accumulating, the acidity and astringency tended to soften of grape berry during the freezing period. The process gave the ice wine balanced taste, with prominent honey sweetness, accompanied by refreshing alcoholic taste, soft acidity and astringency. Eleven key aroma compounds were identified in ice wine through GC-MS and ROAV values. The key aroma compounds were analyzed with Pearson correlation coefficient and fragrance mechanism were speculated. Ethyl acetate and 1-octen-3-ol derived from the aroma of grape, are produced by anaerobic metabolism and lipoxygenase pathways of pyruvate and linoleic acid, respectively. Ester aromas, 2-phenylethanol and 2-methylbutanal were derived from the brewing process, were produced by octanoic acid, caproic acid, phenylalanine and isoleucine through lipid metabolism, Ehrlich pathway and Strecker pathway, respectively. Proposed corresponding control methods based on factors that affect the formation of ice wine aromas.

Capsaicinoids and volatile flavor compounds profile of Sichuan hotpot as affected by cultivar of chili peppers during processing

Sichuan hotpot oil is a distinctive traditional Chinese cuisine, and chili pepper is an essential material for its flavor formation. In this study, the effect of chili pepper cultivars on capsaicinoids as well as Sichuan hotpot oil volatile compounds were examined. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and chemometrics were employed to ascertain the differences between volatile components and flavor. The results showed that the EJT hotpot oil had the highest color intensity of 34.8, and the SSL hotpot oil had the highest capsaicinoids content of 1.536 g/kg. The results of QDA showed distinct differences among hotpot oils in terms of all sensory properties. A total of 74 volatile components were detected. Aldehydes, ketones, esters, and acids were the dominant volatile compounds formed in 18 hotpot oil samples and showed a significant difference, suggesting that they played a key role in flavor contribution and distinguishing the flavor differences between different hotpot oils. The PCA results well distinguished 18 kinds of hotpot oil.

Changes in the physicochemical properties and antioxidant capacity of Sichuan hotpot oil

This study aimed to develop nutritious and healthy Sichuan hotpot oil. Four blended oil formulas were formulated using MATLAB based on the fatty acid composition of four base constituents (beef tallow, mutton tallow, peanut oil, and palm oil). The sensory characteristics, physicochemical properties, nutritional composition, harmful substances, and antioxidant capacity of the oils were analyzed during the boiling process. A blend of 60% beef tallow + 10% mutton tallow + 10% peanut oil + 20% palm oil exhibited a low level of peroxide (0.03 g/100 g) and malondialdehyde (0.04 mg/kg), and high phytosterol content (1028.33 mg/kg), which was the suitable hotpot blending oil. Furthermore, the changes in the physicochemical properties during boring were low, with a high retention rate of phytosterol (94.85%), and the levels of 3,4-benzopyrene (1.12 μg/kg) and 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol ester (0.67 mg/kg) were both lower than the recommended limits. This study will provide a theoretical basis for the advancement of the hotpot oil industry.

Sensory and Volatile Compounds Characteristics of the Sauce in Bean Paste Fish Treated with Ultra-High-Pressure and Representative Thermal Sterilization

This study investigated the differences between three sterilized samples to reveal the unique aroma characteristics of the sauce in bean paste fish by multiple analysis methodologies. Samples were subjected to pasteurized (PS), high-temperature sterilization (HTS), and ultra-high-pressure treatment (UHP) tests. The UHP had a higher sensory evaluation and could better maintain the original flavor of the sample. A total of 92, 83, 85, and 76 volatile compounds were detected via comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC×GC-MS) techniques in the control (CT), PS, HTS, and UHP groups, respectively. According to the analysis of gas chromatograph-olfactometry and odor activity value, 7 compounds were considered to have an aromatic influence on the sauces, in which four compounds (1,8-Cineole, Linalool, Hexanal, and Dimethyl trisulfide) exhibited a positive contribution to the aroma of the sauces. PLS-DA results showed that the UHP group positively correlated with volatiles (Isoamylol and 1-Octen-3-ol), color, and gloss. In general, the UHP treatment could retain the original state and flavor of the sauce, showing a high similarity to the control group. The HTS significantly altered the flavor and status of the samples.

Comparative Elucidation of Aroma, Key Odorants, and Fatty Acid Profiles of Ivorian Shea Butter Prepared by Three Different Extraction Methods

In the present study, the volatile compounds, key odorants, and fatty acid profiles of Ivorian shea butter produced by cold press extraction (CPE), solvent extraction (SE) and traditional extraction (TE) methods were investigated for the first time. The aroma compounds of shea butter were extracted by the purge and trap method and analyzed by the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and olfactometry (GC-MS/O) technique. Totals of 51, 49 and 46 aroma compounds were determined in samples from CPE, SE and TE, respectively. It was observed that the volatile compounds of studied material dominated after CPE, in which alcohols (11) were the most abundant chemical group, followed by aldehydes (10) and acids (7). The application of aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA) resulted in 22, 20, and 16 key odorants in shea butter from CPE, SE and TE, respectively. 3-Hexanol with flavor dilution (FD) factors (2048 in CPS, 1024 in SE and 64 in TE) was found to be the most active aroma compound in all samples. In the fatty acid fraction obtained using the gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (GC-FID) method, 22, 24 and 19 fatty acids were detected in samples after CPE, SE and TE, respectively. The highest number of fatty acids was determined in shea butter using CPE (89.98%). Stearic and oleic acids were the most dominant fatty acids, and all samples of shea butter were rich sources of saturated fatty acids (SFAs). Moreover, the SE samples showed the highest values of DPPH (238.36 µM TEq/kg) and ABTS (534.96 µM TEq/kg), while the CPE samples had the highest total phenolic content (104.64 mg GAE/kg). Principal component analysis (PCA) clearly indicated that the extraction technique could quantitatively or qualitatively induce changes. Thus, this investigation demonstrated that extraction methods have a considerable impact on the quality and chemical composition of the presented material.

Hydrophobic species-enabled acid–base multi-catalysis for stereoselective access to renewable trans-anethole

A green and sustainable route was developed to stereoselectively produce biomass-based trans-AN (90% selectivity) over an acid–base bifunctional catalyst through cascade transfer hydrogenation and dehydration.

Characterization of aroma and bacteria profiles of Sichuan industrial paocai by HS-SPME-GC-O-MS and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing

Sichuan industrial paocai and traditional home-made paocai have different aroma profiles due to different manufacturing techniques, but detailed information about the aroma profiles and aroma-producing microorganism of Sichuan industrial paocai remain largely elusive. For this reason, we established and validated an external standard method of headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) combined with gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) for identification and accurate quantitation of aroma-active compounds in Sichuan industrial paocai. This method was combined with 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to comprehensively analyze the aroma and bacteria profiles of Sichuan industrial paocai. A total of 121 volatile compounds were identified, among which 36 odorants were identified as aroma-active compounds with aroma intensities (AIs) ranging from 0.67 to 5.00 by GC-O. The types of aroma-active compounds in Sichuan industrial paocai were variety-specific to some extent, but the aroma-active compounds shared by different varieties of Sichuan industrial paocai (i.e., skeleton aroma-active compounds) were phenylethyl alcohol, acetic acid, butanoic acid, 2-methylbutanoic acid, ethyl hexanoate, 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol. Moreover, 17 key aroma-active compounds of AI > 1 in radish paocai were quantitated by external standard method, and their odor activity values (OAVs) were calculated based on the odor thresholds. Further, 12 aroma-active compounds with OAV ≥ 1 in one of the radish paocai were selected to construct the recombination model, which revealed good agreement with the original sample. Furthermore, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Pseudomonas and Sphingomonas were the dominant bacteria in Sichuan industrial paocai. Correlation analysis between 16 dominant bacteria and 36 aroma-active compounds showed that Pediococcus, Arcobacter and Lactobacillus could be the core aroma-producing bacteria of Sichuan industrial paocai.

Sensory-Based Identification of Aroma-Active Compounds in Hotpot Seasoning before and after Boiling

Boiling, the most frequent edible way to hotpot seasoning (HS), exerts a significant impact on the aroma of HS. The present study employed, for the first time, a novel switchable system between GC-O-MS and GC×GC-O-MS (SGC/GC×GC-O-MS) to study the aroma compounds of HS and hotpot seasoning boiling liquid (HSBL). A total of 79 aroma compounds and 56 aroma-active compounds were identified. The aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA) was used to analyze the differences between the key aroma-active components in the HS and HSBL. The results showed that 13 aroma-active components were significantly affected by boiling, such as D-limonene, methional, and linalool. Moreover, a total of 22 key aroma-active components were identified through the odor activity values (OAVs) calculation. Of them, (E)-2-octenal (fatty) and linalool showed a significant difference, suggesting them to be the most critical aroma-active compounds in the HSBL, and HS, respectively. Finally, the correlation between key aroma-active compounds and the sensory properties of HS and HSBL was studied. These results demonstrated that the OAVs of key aroma-active compounds could characterize the real information of samples through bidirectional orthogonal partial least squares (O2PLS). The analysis results were consistent with the sensory evaluation results.

Catalytic Stereoselective Conversion of Biomass-Derived 4'-Methoxypropiophenone to Trans-Anethole with a Bifunctional and Recyclable Hf-Based Polymeric Nanocatalyst

Anethole (AN) is widely used as an odor cleaner in daily necessities, and can also be applied in the fields of food additives, drug synthesis, natural preservatives, and polymeric materials' preparation. Considering environmental and economic benefits, the use of biomass raw materials with non-precious metal catalysts to prepare high-value fine chemicals is a very promising route. Here, we developed an acid-base bifunctional polymeric material (PhP-Hf (1:1.5)) composed of hafnium and phenylphosphonate in a molar ratio of 1:1.5 for catalytic conversion of biomass-derived 4'-methoxypropiophenone (4-MOPP) to AN via cascade Meerwein-Pondorf-Verley (MPV) reduction and dehydration reactions in a single pot. Compared with the traditional catalytic systems that use high-pressure hydrogen as a hydrogen donor, alcohol can be used as a safer and more convenient hydrogen source and solvent. Among the tested alcohols, 2-pentanol was found to be the best candidate in terms of pronounced selectivity. A high AN yield of 98.1% at 99.8% 4-MOPP conversion (TOF: 8.5 h^-1) could be achieved over PhP-Hf (1:1.5) at 220 °C for 2 h. Further exploration of the reaction mechanism revealed that the acid and base sites of PhP-Hf (1:1.5) catalyst synergistically promote the MPV reduction step, while the Brønsted acid species significantly contribute to the subsequent dehydration step. In addition, the PhP-Hf polymeric nanocatalyst can be recycled at least five times, showing great potential in the catalytic conversion of biomass.

Recent trends in the chromatographic analysis of volatile flavor and fragrance compounds: Annual review 2020

The chromatographic analysis of volatile flavor and fragrance compounds is performed routinely in several industries and in many fields of scientific research. Typical applications include food-, environmental-, essential oil- and cosmetics analysis. Even though the analysis of flavors and fragrances have become increasingly standardized during the past decade, there are still a large variety of techniques that can be used for their extraction, chemical analysis, and sensory analysis. Moreover, there are certain less commonly used techniques that are now being used with increased frequency and that are showing the potential of being used as alternatives to the existing standard techniques. In this annual review, the techniques that were most commonly used in 2020 for the investigation of these volatile compounds are discussed. In addition, a number of emerging trends are discussed, notably the use of solvent assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) for extraction, GC ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) for volatile compound analysis and electronic senses, that is, E-noses and E-tongues, for sensory analysis. Miscellaneous hyphenated techniques, advances in stationary phase chemistry and a number of interesting applications are also highlighted.