Adsorption effect and thermodynamics of pine pollen for off-odor compounds in surimi gels

This study aimed to evaluate pine pollen as a natural adsorbent for off-odor control in surimi gels and elucidate pollen adsorption behavior. The results demonstrated that pine pollen significantly reduced the content and odor activity values of most aldehydes, ketones and alcohols that contributed to off-odor in surimi gels by GC-MS analysis. The adsorption behavior of pine pollen to 5 typical off-odor compounds (hexanal, nonanal, (Z)-4-heptenal, (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal and 1-octen-3-ol) in surimi gels was further explored. Kinetic analyses demonstrated that their adsorption onto pine pollen involved both physisorption and chemisorption. (Z)-4-Heptenal exhibited the highest capacity and adsorption rate for pine pollen. Isotherm tests revealed the process was spontaneous, exothermic, and best described by monolayer adsorption models. The high adsorption capacity is attributed to the unique honeycomb structure and large surface area of pine pollen with abundant active functional groups. This structure is particularly effective for adsorbing polar molecules like (Z)-4-heptenal. In conclusion, pine pollen shows great potential as a natural ingredient for improving the flavor of surimi products. This structure is particularly effective for adsorbing polar molecules like (Z)-4-heptenal. In conclusion, pine pollen shows great potential as a natural ingredient for improving the flavor of surimi products.