Enhancing Flavor in Dried Mackerel Floss (Scomberomorus niphonius) via Protease: Formation Mechanism of Characteristic Flavor Revealed by Integrated Multi-Omics Analysis

TL;DR

This study improves the flavor of dried mackerel floss using proteases and identifies the chemical pathways behind the enhanced taste and aroma.

Contribution

The study reveals the formation mechanism of characteristic flavor in mackerel floss through integrated multi-omics analysis.

Findings

FP and NP proteases reduced fishy compounds and increased pyrazines and furans, enhancing odor.

PP protease increased umami and sweet amino acids by 26.68% and 25.98%, respectively.

Correlation analysis identified amino acid pathways influencing the formation of key flavor compounds.

Abstract

Current marine mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius) products predominantly involve low-value-added processing, while high-value-added products like fish floss remain underdeveloped. This study utilized mackerel dorsal muscle treated with flavor protease (FP), papain (PP), and neutral protease (NP) (10 U/g, 30 min), followed by steaming and stir-frying. Combined with sensory evaluation, HS-GC-IMS, and automatic amino acid analysis, the characteristic flavor was evaluated by multi-omics. The results showed that FP and NP significantly enhanced odor by reducing fishy compounds (e.g., hexanal) and increasing pyrazines/furans. PP enhanced taste by elevating umami and sweet amino acids (26.68% and 25.98%, respectively). Correlation analysis revealed the following potential pathways: Val and Leu served as precursors for furan, suppressing 2-methyl-3-(methylthio)furan formation, while Asp, Tyr, Phe, Gly, Cys, and Ile promoted 2,5-dimethylpyrazine and 2-methyl-3-(methylthio)furan generation while inhibiting furan. This study demonstrates that minimal protease addition effectively optimizes dried mackerel floss flavor, providing a novel approach for high-quality marine product development.

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