Characterisation of Flavour Attributes in Egg White Protein Using HS-GC-IMS Combined with E-Nose and E-Tongue: Effect of High-Voltage Cold Plasma Treatment Time.

Mustapha Muhammad Nasiru,Wenjing Yan,Evans Frimpong Boateng,Jianhao Zhang,Sameh A Korma,Zhaobin Wang,Kashif-Ur Rehman Khan,Ji Luo,Muhammad Umair,Fawze Alnadari,Ali Majrashi,Hong Zhuang

doi:10.3390/molecules27030601

Abstract

Egg white protein (EWP) is susceptible to denaturation and coagulation when exposed to high temperatures, adversely affecting its flavour, thereby influencing consumers’ decisions. Here, we employ high-voltage cold plasma (HVCP) as a novel nonthermal technique to investigate its influence on the EWP’s flavour attributes using E-nose, E-tongue, and headspace gas-chromatography-ion-mobilisation spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) due to their rapidness and high sensitivity in identifying flavour fingerprints in foods. The EWP was investigated at 0, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 s of HVCP treatment time. The results revealed that HVCP significantly influences the odour and taste attributes of the EWP across all treatments, with a more significant influence at 60 and 120 s of HVCP treatment. Principal component analyses of the E-nose and E-tongue clearly distinguish the odour and taste sensors’ responses. The HS-GC-IMS analysis identified 65 volatile compounds across the treatments. The volatile compounds’ concentrations increased as the HVCP treatment time was increased from 0 to 300 s. The significant compounds contributing to EWP characterisation include heptanal, ethylbenzene, ethanol, acetic acid, nonanal, heptacosane, 5-octadecanal, decanal, p-xylene, and octanal. Thus, this study shows that HVCP could be utilised to modify and improve the EWP flavour attributes.

Highlights

Egg white protein (EWP) is an affordable source of high-quality protein containing several amino acids higher than other sources of protein, such as soybean and milk proteins [1,2,3,4]
The results shows that there was no difference in the moisture, protein and reducing sugars’ content due to high-voltage cold plasma (HVCP) treatments
Our results corroborated with the findings of Chen, et al [46] for freeze-dried and spray-dried egg white protein hydrolysates

Summary

Introduction

Egg white protein (EWP) is an affordable source of high-quality protein containing several amino acids higher than other sources of protein, such as soybean and milk proteins [1,2,3,4]. It is highly retained in our body and has excellent physical and nutritional properties. Conventional food processing techniques such as thermal processes have been extensively employed in the processing of EWP, but undesirably affect the structural, functional, and nutritional attributes of the EWP, thereby affecting its distinctive flavour, causing chemical pollution, which in turn could harm consumers [8,10,12,13,14]

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Conclusion