Correlation between physicochemical properties and volatile compound profiles in tilapia muscles subjected to four...

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Biochemistry
• Sensory Analysis

Background:

• Thermal processing significantly impacts fish muscle's physicochemical properties and sensory attributes.
• Understanding these changes is crucial for optimizing fish product quality and consumer acceptance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of four distinct thermal processing methods (microwaving, roasting, boiling, steaming) on tilapia muscle.
• To analyze the resulting changes in physicochemical properties, textural attributes, and volatile odor compounds.

Main Methods:

• Physicochemical analysis (pH, water content, texture), gas chromatography-electronic nose (GC-E-nose) for odor profiling.
• Headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) for volatile compound identification.
• Statistical analysis using MetaboAnalyst and odor activity value (OAV) calculations.

Main Results:

• Thermal processing altered tilapia muscle pH, water state, microstructure, and mass, affecting textural properties in the order: microwaving > roasting > steaming ≈ boiling.
• GC-E-nose revealed significant differences in odor fingerprints among processing methods.
• Key volatile compounds identified varied by method, with microwaved tilapia showing hexanal, nonanal, and decanal; roasted tilapia exhibiting 2-methyl-butanal, 3-methyl-butanal, decanal, and trimethylamine; and steamed/boiled tilapia having 2-methyl-butanal and decanal, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Different thermal processing methods induce distinct physicochemical and sensory changes in tilapia muscle.
• Microwaving and roasting result in more pronounced textural modifications and unique volatile compound profiles compared to steaming and boiling.
• The study provides insights into tailoring processing methods to achieve desired tilapia product characteristics.