Application Notes

Application Notes

AppNote 243: Identification of Key Sensory-Active Flavor Compounds in Plant-Based Tuna Fish using Sensory Directed Analysis

Abstract

Plant-based proteins are a rapidly growing market with plant-based seafood replacement also seeing significant growth in recent years. The key to the overall food experience is the aroma perceived while consuming the product. The challenge with plant-based protein sources is that they often produce aromas not traditionally associated with the product of interest. In this study, a sensory-directed analysis method was employed to identify and compare key sensory-active flavor compounds in plant-based tuna with those in real tuna fish. This method utilized dynamic headspace extraction with gas chromatographic separation and simultaneous olfactory and mass spectral detection. Combining olfactory detection of individual sensory-active compounds with GC-MS determination of their identity is crucial to understanding the most desirable aromas and to best replicating them in food products.

Keywords

Sensory Directed Analysis (SDA), Plant-Based Protein, Dynamic Headspace (DHS), Selectable 1D/2D-Gas Chromatography-Olfactometry/Mass Spectrometry (1D/2D-GC-O/MS), Sensory-Active Compounds, Flavor, Olfactory Detection Port