Elucidating cooking-driven flavor dynamics of paddy field carp (Cyprinus carpio) using a combination of E-nose,...

The cooking process exerts a notable influence on the flavor characteristics of fish. E-nose, GC-MS, and GC-IMS technologies were utilized to investigate how three thermal processing methods (steaming, frying, and roasting) alter the volatile odors of paddy field carp (PFC). GC-MS and GC-IMS analyses indicated that the volatile compound compositions of steaming and raw samples were relatively similar. Unique compounds such as hexanal, nonanal, and 2, 3-octanedione endowed paddy field carp with grassy, fatty, and fishy odors. Roasting significantly increased both the variety and content of volatile compounds. The content of pyrazines increased significantly after frying. E-tongue showed a substantial increase in umami taste after cooking, with roasting having the highest equivalent umami concentration at 29.95 mg/100 g. Sensory evaluations revealed that frying scored the highest overall (78.08) and was most favored. This study offered insights for further processing, flavor enhancement, and quality improvement of PFC.