Meaty aroma notes from free amino acids and thiamine in nitrite-reduced, dry-fermented, yeast-inoculated sausages

• Published in: Food chemistry 2021-11, Vol.361, p.129997-129997, Article 129997
• Main Authors: Flores, Mónica, Perea-Sanz, Laura, López-Díez, José Javier, Belloch, Carmela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino acid; amino acids; disulfides; Dry sausage; food chemistry; meat; nitrates; Nitrite; nitrites; odors; Savoury; thiamin; Thiamine; Yeast
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129997

•Free amino acid degradation produced savoury aroma compounds in dry sausages.•Thiamine was not degraded during dry fermenting process.•Production of savoury compounds was scarcely affected by nitrite reduction.•Production of savoury compounds was affected by D. hansenii inoculation.•D. hansenii inoculation decreases methional and methyl 2-methyl-3-furyl disulfide content. The contribution of free amino acids and thiamine to the production of potent meat aroma compounds in nitrite-reduced, dry-fermented sausages inoculated with a D. hansenii strain was the objective of this study. For this, three different sausage formulations were manufactured; a control and two formulations reduced by half in nitrate and nitrite and one of them inoculated with D. hansenii. Free amino acids, thiamine content and savoury volatile compounds were analysed. Eleven savoury volatile compounds were quantitated. Among them, the most potent compounds above their odour thresholds were 2-methyl-3-furanthiol, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, methional, dimethyl trisulfide and methyl-2-methyl-3-furyl disulfide. Their generation was affected by D. hansenii inoculation as shown by the decrease in methional and methyl 2-methyl-3-furyl disulfide content, and the increase of methionol. Nitrate and nitrite reduction did not significantly affect amino acid and thiamine contents.