Establishment of Plasma Deodorization Technology for Desalted Duck Egg White Gel Based on E-Nose, Hs-Gc-Ims and Hs-Spme-Gc/Ms Analysis

Salted duck egg white (SDEW), despite being rich in amino acids, minerals, and vitamins, is often discarded in food processing due to its unpleasant odor and high salt content. In this study, gelatinized desalted SDEW (gd-SDEW) was prepared using an alcohol-water desalting method and treated with low-temperature plasma (LTP) to alter its volatile organic compounds (VOCs). E-nose results showed that LTP treatment at 35 V for 3 min significantly reduced alcohols and alkanes, while increasing aromatic compounds. HS-SPME-GC-MS analysis showed that ethanol content decreased to 68.43% of its original level, and nonanal content increased by 738.5%. HS-GC-IMS analysis confirmed that odor-causing substances such as 2-ethylhexanol, 2(3H)-furanone, and tetrahydrofuran decreased, while aldehydes and ketones such as heptanal, hexanal, and 1-butanol increased. This study employed LTP technology as an innovative and convenient approach to improve the odor of gd-SDEW, thereby expanding its application potential in the food industry.