Characterisation of aroma profiles of commercial soy sauce by odour activity value and omission test

• Published in: Food chemistry 2015-01, Vol.167, p.220-228
• Main Authors: Feng, Yunzi, Su, Guowan, Zhao, Haifeng, Cai, Yu, Cui, Chun, Sun-Waterhouse, Dongxiao, Zhao, Mouming
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aroma-active components; Biological and medical sciences; Food toxicology; Mass Spectrometry - methods; Medical sciences; OAV; Odorants - analysis; Omission test; Soy Foods - analysis; Soy sauce; SPME–GC–MS; Toxicology
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.06.057

•Eight components had odour activity values (OAVs)>1 in all soy sauce samples.•Data contributed to understanding of aroma profiles of 3 soy sauce varieties.•The characteristic soy sauce aroma depended heavily on amino acids catabolism. Twenty-seven commercial soy sauces produced through three different fermentation processes (high-salt liquid-state fermentation soy sauce, HLFSS; low-salt solid-state fermentation soy sauce, LSFSS; Koikuchi soy sauce, KSS) were examined to identify the aroma compounds and the effect of fermentation process on the flavour of the soy sauce was investigated. Results showed that 129 volatiles were identified, of which 41 aroma-active components were quantified. The types of odorants occurring in the three soy sauce groups were similar, although their intensities significantly differed. Many esters and phenols were found at relatively high intensities in KSS, whereas some volatile acids only occurred in LSFSS. Furthermore, 23 aroma compounds had average OAVs>1, among which 3-methylbutanal, ethyl acetate, 4-hydroxy-2-ethyl-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone, 2-methylbutanal and 3-(methylthio)propanal exhibited the highest average OAVs (>100). In addition, omission tests verified the important contribution of the products resulting from amino acid catabolism to the characteristic aroma of soy sauce.