An insight into specific flavor sensation in fermented milk: Linalool and mushroom alcohol

Flavor perception plays a decisive role in consumer choice of dairy products. For overall flavor formation, far less is known about the specific sensory aspects of critical flavor compounds, particularly for fermentation aroma and off-flavor perception. We resolved the volatile flavor compounds produced in dairy products under a prolonged fermentation process with Lactobacillus casei or Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and 49 and 47 volatile flavor compounds, respectively, were identified by using the headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Chemometrics combined with odor activity value (OAV) calculations identified 7 key flavor components (OAV > 1). Correlations between sensory attributes and flavor components were then investigated and market validation revealed the role of 2 compounds, linalool and shiitake alcohol, in conferring fermentation aroma and off-flavor perception, respectively. Overall, these results provide a potential target for the detection and development of high-quality dairy products and provide an example for the exploration of specific sensory flavor compounds in the food industry.