Key non-volatile taste components and characteristics in abdominal muscle of Eriocheir sinensis under various thermal...

This study identified the key non-volatile taste components and characteristics in the abdominal muscle (AM) of Eriocheir sinensis under various thermal processing methods: boiling at rising temperature (BO-R), boiling at constant temperature (BO-C), steaming with water vapor (ST) and salt-baked (BK). The results showed that arginine (Arg), alanine (Ala), glycine (Gly), glutamate (Glu), 5'-AMP, histidine (His), lysine (Lys), proline (Pro), K⁺, PO₄^3-, betaine, succinic acid, and lactic acid were the key taste contributors, exhibiting taste activity values (TAV) higher than 1.0. Compared to BO groups, ST and BK group showed higher expression in SFAAs. BK exhibited the highest Arg, 5'-AMP contents, EUC (4.49 g MSG/100 g), and reduced BFAAs. The cluster and correlation analysis demonstrated that Arg, Ala, and His were identified as the primary differential components under various thermal degradation. These findings could deepen the understanding of taste for subsequent studies.