Characterization of the effect of different sugar on volatile flavor compounds of dried fish floss using e‐nose combined with HS‐SPME / GC‐MS

The aim of this study was to evaluate volatile compounds of dried fish floss with different sugar using electronic nose (e-nose) and headspace-solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). Maillard reaction (MR) was carried out by reducing sugar (glucose, xylose, fructose, and galactose) instead of sucrose to increase the flavor of fish floss. The results showed that 64 volatile compounds were detected in fish floss. Hexanal, heptanal, nonanal, decanal, undecanal, tridecanal, pentadecanal, 4-ethyl-benzaldehyde, dodecanal, benzene acetaltaldehyde, (E, E)-2,6-nonadienal, (E, E)-2,4-decadienal, 2-undecanone, 1-octen-3-ol, (E)-2-hepten-1-ol, 1-heptanol, and 2-pentyl-furan were regarded as key volatile compounds. Furthermore, e-nose and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed that there were significant differences in flavor among fish floss samples. The correlation analysis of browning index, fatty acids, and key volatile compounds confirmed that MR and lipid oxidation made a great contribution to the flavor formation. These results might provide guidance for the production and flavor formation of fish floss. Practical applications Dried fish floss deeply loved by the public is a traditional leisure food with unique odor and delicious taste. The attractive flavor of dried fish floss could be increased with the help of the Maillard reaction (MR). The type of sugar in MR has a great influence on the reaction process and the flavor of substances. The comprehensive information on the flavor among the dried fish floss with different sugar (sucrose, glucose, xylose, fructose, and galactose) was characterized by using HS-SPME/GC-MS, electronic nose (E-nose), and fatty acid analysis, which may provide a reference for the quality improvement of dried fish floss.