Comprehensive Characterization of Volatile Flavor Compounds in Thamnaconus modestus Under Different Thermal...

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Sensory Science

Background:

• Black scraper fish (Thamnaconus modestus) is commercially valuable but suffers from a strong fishy odor.
• This off-odor, mainly from sulfur compounds and trimethylamine (TMA), hinders consumer acceptance and product variety.
• Limited research exists on how thermal processing impacts the fish's volatile flavor profile.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically investigate the effects of different thermal processing methods on the volatile flavor profile of black scraper fish.
• To characterize aroma variations induced by steaming, boiling, deep-frying, and roasting compared to raw samples.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an integrated flavoromics platform: sensory evaluation, electronic nose (E-nose), electronic tongue (E-tongue), GC-IMS, and HS-SPME-GC-MS.
• Employed chemometric analysis to identify characteristic volatile compounds and key odorants.
• Quantified changes in sulfur compounds, TMA, aldehydes, and furans across different processing methods.

Main Results:

• Identified 62 (GC-IMS) and 129 (GC-MS) volatile compounds, screening 78 markers and 45 key odorants.
• Thermal processing significantly decreased sulfur compounds and TMA, with concentrations following: raw >> steamed ≈ boiled >> deep-fried > roasted.
• Moist-heat methods (steaming, boiling) produced grassy/fatty notes via lipid oxidation; dry-heat methods (deep-frying, roasting) yielded roasted/nutty notes through Maillard reactions and Strecker degradation.

Conclusions:

• Thermal processing effectively modulates the flavor profile of black scraper fish by reducing off-odors and generating desirable notes.
• Moist-heat and dry-heat treatments result in distinct flavor profiles, offering pathways for product diversification.
• Findings support precise flavor quality control and optimized processing strategies for black scraper products.