Effect of ultrasound combined with sodium bicarbonate pretreatment on the taste and flavor of chicken broth

Abstract As one of the five basic tastes, umami has the advantages of making the overall taste of food more harmoniously. Although various umami substances in food have been isolated and identified, in recent years, there are limit studies on the processing technology for improving food umami. Therefore, it is necessary to explore novel efficient umami improvement technologies to meet the urgentment of the food industry. This experiment was designed to study the effect of 0.1% (w/w) sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) combined with different power (0, 120, 180, 240, and 300 W) ultrasound treatment on the taste and flavor of chicken broth. Results demonstrated that the chicken broth under the power of 120 W ultrasound treatment combined with 0.1% (w/w) NaHCO3 was the most umami, and contained the largest amount of IMP. The chicken broth under the treatment of 180 W ultrasound combined with 0.1% (w/w) NaHCO3 has better flavor and sensory evaluation as the umami improved. In summary, 180 W ultrasound combined with 0.1% (w/w) NaHCO3 pretreatment is a simple and low‐cost processing technology, which is inclined to apply in industry. Practical Applications Compared with the traditional umami improvement method, ultrasound can significantly reduce the cost of food umami‐enhancing with the characteristics of high safety, environmental protection, low operating cost, and high instantaneous efficiency. Sodium bicarbonate is an inorganic salt. Moderate intake is beneficial to the body. It can help neutralize stomach acid and supplement sodium for the body. In this study, low‐power ultrasound combined with low‐concentration of sodium bicarbonate solution was used to cook chicken soup, and the umami taste was improved to a large extent, which provided a novel method for industrial application.