ABSTRACT To decrease the fishy odor of tilapia protein hydrolysates, this study investigated the flavor properties of fish protein hydrolysates (FPH) fermented by Hanseniaspora pseudoguilliermondii (FPHY), Lactobacillus plantarum 082 (FPHL) and combined fermentation (FPHLY). The thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values of FPHY (from 3.15 mg/L to 2.30 mg/L) and FPHL (from 2.89 mg/L to 1.29 mg/L) reduced by 26.98% and 55.36%, respectively. However, there were no obvious changes in amino acid composition. HS-SPME-GC-MS analysis showed that the main fishy components in FPH were hexanal and 1-octene-3-ol. Compared with FPHL, FPHY can produce more esters (1470.65 μg/mL), and the ester content was 352 times that of FPH (4.17 μg/mL) and 405 times that of FPHL (3.63 μg/mL). E-nose analysis, sensory evaluation and e-tongue analysis indicated that fermentation could decrease the bitterness of FPH, resulting in an improved taste. Therefore, H. pseudoguilliermondii fermentation could reduce the fishy odor and bitterness of FPH.