Halophilic bacteria as starter cultures: A new strategy to accelerate fermentation and enhance flavor of shrimp paste.

Traditional Chinese fermented shrimp paste is popular with consumers for its unique seafood flavor and fermented aroma. However, different heating methods exerted various flavors, which directly affect consumer choice and the industrialization of shrimp paste. In this study, the effect of four heating methods (steaming, frying, microwaving, and infrared) on volatile components of shrimp paste were compared by headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC–MS), gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) and chemometrics. Results showed that 96 volatile components were identified; The volatile components such as pentanal, ethyl acetate, dimethyl disulfide, and propanal were the characteristic volatile components that could be distinguished between different heating methods. The concentration of phenols and alcohols decreased, and the concentration of ketones and aldehydes increased after heating. The effect of microwave heating on volatile components is closer to that of steaming and frying, while infrared heating had the most significant impact on volatile components of shrimp paste. In addition, steaming, frying, microwaving, and infrared heating improve the aroma quality of shrimp paste by promoting fat oxidation, protein degradation, the Strecker pathway, and the escape of sulfur-containing compounds. Therefore, our results can provide theoretical support for improving shrimp paste quality and consumer choice. 

New insights from flavoromics on different heating methods of traditional fermented shrimp paste: The volatile components and metabolic pathways

Aroma characterisation of Liu-pao tea based on volatile fingerprint and aroma wheel using SBSE-GC-MS.

Salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) is a vital ingredient in fermented foods, which affects their safety, texture, and flavor characteristics. Recently, the demand for reduced-sodium fermented foods has increased, as consumers have become more health-conscious. However, reducing sodium content in fermented foods may negatively affect flavor perception, which is a critical quality attribute of fermented foods for both the food industry and consumers. This review summarizes the role of salt in the human body and foods and its role in the flavor perception of fermented foods. Current sodium reduction strategies used in the food industry mainly include the direct stealth reduction of NaCl, substituting NaCl with other chloride salts, and structure modification of NaCl. The odor-induced saltiness enhancement, application of starter cultures, flavor enhancers, and non-thermal processing technology are potential strategies for flavor compensation of sodium-reduced fermented foods. However, reducing sodium in fermented food is challenging due to its specific role in flavor perception (e.g., promoting saltiness and volatile compound release from food matrices, inhibiting bitterness, and changing microflora structure). Therefore, multiple challenges must be addressed in order to improve the flavor of low-sodium fermented foods. Future studies should thus focus on the combination of several strategies to compensate for the deficiencies in flavor resulting from sodium reduction.

Insights into the flavor perception and enhancement of sodium-reduced fermented foods: A review.

Identification of the key off-flavor odorants for undesirable spoiled odor in thermally sterilized fermented soymilk.

Flavor characteristics of raw shrimp, high-salt and low-salt shrimp paste were evaluated and compared by sensory analysis, headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) and solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS). In addition, aroma profiles and aroma-active compounds in these three samples were analyzed by solvent-assisted flavor evaporation-gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (SAFE-GC-O-MS). Results of sensory evaluation revealed that these three samples showed significant differences in sensitivity to the W2W, W2S, W1S and W1W sensors of the electronic nose (p

Wancui Xie

Papers

Characterization of aroma profiles and aroma-active compounds in high-salt and low-salt shrimp paste by molecular sensory science