Abstract
The large yellow croaker is one of the most economically important fish in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, and is well known for its high protein and fat contents, fresh and tender meat, and soft taste. However, the mechanisms involved in its flavor changes during storage have yet to be revealed, although lipid oxidation has been considered to be one important process in determining such changes. Thus, to explore the changes in the flavor of large yellow croaker fish meat during different storage periods, the main physical and chemical characteristics of the fish meat, including the acid value, peroxide value, p-anisidine value, conjugated diene value, and identities of the various flavor substances, were investigated and analyzed by multivariable methods, including headspace gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) and principal component analysis (PCA). It was found that after 60 d storage, the types and contents of the aldehyde and ketone aroma components increased significantly, while after 120 d, the contents of ketones (2-butanone), alcohols (1-propanethiol), and aldehydes (n-nonanal) decreased significantly. More specifically, aldehyde components dominated over ketones and lipids, while the n-nonanal content showed a downward trend during storage, and the 3-methylbutanol (trimer), 3-methylbutanol (dimer, D), 3-pentanone (D), and 3-pentanone (monomer) contents increased, whereas these compounds were identified as the key components affecting the fish meat flavor. Furthermore, after 120 d storage, the number of different flavor components reached its highest value, thereby confirming that the storage time influences the flavor of large yellow croaker fish. In this context, it should be noted that many of these compounds form through the Maillard reaction to accelerate the deterioration of fish meat. It was also found that after storage for 120 d, the physical indices of large yellow croaker meat showed significant changes, and its physicochemical properties varied. These results therefore demonstrate that a combination of GC-IMS and PCA can be used to identify the differences in flavor components present in fish meat during storage. Our study provides useful knowledge for understanding the different flavors associated with fish meat products during and following storage.
Highlights
The large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) is a prized commercial fish in China and is considered one of the traditional “four major marine products.” This fish is distributed over three geographical locations in China, namely in the East China Sea, the Guangdong group, and the western group
Aldehyde components dominated over ketones and lipids, while the n-nonanal content showed a downward trend during storage, and the 3-methylbutanol, 3-methylbutanol, 3-pentanone (D), and 3-pentanone contents increased, whereas these compounds were identified as the key components affecting the fish meat flavor
It has been suggested that gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) could be employed to examine the changes in lipid flavor compounds during the processing of meat, and it was found that the volatile organic compounds present in different meat products can be identified through fingerprinting by such techniques [15,16,17]
Summary
The large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) is a prized commercial fish in China and is considered one of the traditional “four major marine products.” This fish is distributed over three geographical locations in China, namely in the East China Sea (the northern part of the Yellow Sea including Lu Yanyu, Yushuyang, Lushan fishery, and other waters), the Guangdong group (mainly in the Taiwan Strait), and the western group (the South China Sea between the Qiongzhou Straight and the mouth of the Pearl River). The meat of the large yellow croaker is nutritious and contains a variety of unsaturated fatty acids and amino acids, its texture is delicate and crisp, and its taste is delicious [1,2,3]. As a result, this fish is a popular seafood among consumers. Headspace-gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) requires no pretreatment, as the solid, liquid, or headspace gas samples are injected directly [6,7]. Few reports have been published on the organic volatile fingerprints of large yellow croaker meat after different storage periods [18]
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