Identification of key flavour substances of beef tallow used in Sichuan-Chongqing hotpot
In order to establish a foundation for researching the diverse flavour requirements of substances in hotpot bases,six types of beef tallow(three types of commercially available beef tallow,unrefined beef tallow,degummed beef tallow,and refined beef tallow)were used as materials,the most popular beef tallow was selected based on customer preference analysis and the content and type of volatile flavour components,and the flavour substances of the most popular beef tallow were identified using headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry,dilution analysis of flavour extracts,odour activity values,flavour reconstitution and flavour deletion experiments.The results indicated that refined beef tallow received the highest average score in the consumer preference analysis and had the most substantial chemical composition with 23 volatile substances including 10 kinds aldehydes,5 kinds acids,4 kinds heterocyclic,3 kinds alcohols and 1 kind ketone compounds.Based on the odour activity values of beef tallow flavour substances,7 kinds key flavour substances of beef tallow were identified as(E,E)-2,4-nonadienal,(E)-2-octenal,acetic acid,2-pentylpyridine,octanal,1-octen-3-ol and 2-pentylfuran.Flavour reconstitution and deletion experiments showed that(E,E)-2,4-nonadienal,(E)-2-octenal,acetic acid and octanal contributed the most to beef tallow flavour,followed by 2-pentylpyridine,1-octen-3-ol and 2-pentylfuran.In conclusion,the 7 kinds key flavour substances are determined in the beef tallow,which can provide a reference for the rational development of beef tallow product flavours.