Proteomic analysis of duck meat: Effect of air-drying time on key aroma formation

The air-drying process, an essential step in duck processing, significantly enhances the aroma intensity. However, the role of proteins in aroma formation of air-dried duck meat is unknown. The proteomics and volatilomics approach is applied to investigate how the protein metabolism pathways regulate the aroma development of ducks. Twenty key aroma compounds containing (E, E)-2,4-decadienal were identified in ducks, among which the concentrations of most key odorants significantly increased during air-drying. Interestingly, the (E, E)-2,4-decadienal was regarded as a key aroma compound, serving as a biomarker for the discrimination of ducks. Differentially expressed proteins were identified among 6-24 h and 0 h samples, which might predominantly regulate the aroma intensities through amino acid metabolism, protein modification, and fatty acid degradation. The Perilipin 1, Anapl_06479, and Akr1b10_3 were the key proteins that regulated the key aroma formation in air-dried duck meat, particularly Perilipin 1. This study will contribute to regulating the protein composition of duck meat from the perspective of optimizing the air-drying process, thereby enhancing the aroma intensity of the product.