Characteristic Flavor of Traditional Soup Made by Stewing Chinese Yellow‐Feather Chickens

Abstract

The traditional recipe for Chinese chicken soup creates a popular taste of particular umami and aroma. The present study investigated the effects of stewing time (1, 2, and 3 h) on the principal taste-active and volatile compounds and the overall flavor profile of traditional Chinese chicken soup by measuring the contents of free amino acids (FAAs), 5'-nucleotides, minerals and volatile compounds and by evaluating the taste and aroma profiles using an electronic nose, an electronic tongue and a human panel. Results showed that the major umami-related compounds in the chicken soup were inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP) and chloride, both of which increased significantly (P < 0.05) during stewing. The taste active values (TAVs) of the equivalent umami concentration (EUC) increased from 4.08 to 9.93 (P < 0.05) after stewing for 3 h. Although the FAA and mineral contents increased significantly (P < 0.05), their TAVs were less than 1. The volatile compounds were mainly hexanal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal, (E)-2-nonanal, (E)-2-decenal, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, 1-hexanol, and 2-pentyl furan. With the prolonged stewing time, the aldehydes first increased and then decreased significantly (P < 0.05), while 1-hexanol and 2-pentyl furan increased steadily (P < 0.05). The aroma scores of the chicken soup reached the maximum after stewing for 3 h. The discrepancy in overall flavor characteristics tended to stabilize after 2 h of stewing. In general, stewing time has a positive effect on improving the flavor profiles of chicken soup, especially within the first 2 h.

Evaluation of the taste-active and volatile compounds in stewed meat from the Chinese yellow-feather chicken breed

“…However, our team has reported that FAAs, 5ʹ-nucleotides, and minerals in Chinese yellow-feathered chicken broth increase remarkably with increased stewing time. [7] Similar results are reported by other authors. [12,13] These FAAs, 5ʹ-nucleotides, and minerals migrate from the chicken meat into the broth.…”

“…[32] The decrease in the IMP in the chicken meat during stewing were consistent with results in goat meat after cooking [33] and was accompanied by a remarkable increase in the IMP content in the chicken broth. [7] Rotola-Pukkila et al [11] have reported that IMP in pork meat remained constant after cooking at 80°C for 120 min. This discrepancy could be due to differences in the intensity of the stewing.…”

“…[27] Krasnow et al [24] reported that there was no significant breakdown of proteins into their constituent amino acids in boiled chicken meat even after cooking for 4 h. Thus, the decreased FAA content in the chicken meat observed herein can be attributed to enhanced migration from the boiled meat into the broth, as evidenced by the increases of FAAs in the chicken broth. [7] Rotola-Pukkila et al [11] have reported that the FAAs in pork meat remain constant during cooking at 80°C for 120 min. This discrepancy could be due to differences in the intensity of the stewing.…”

“…[5,6] Of these volatile compounds, 2-furfurylthiol is generated through a Maillard reaction between ribose and cysteine [4] , while the aldehydes mentioned above are generated from lipid oxidation. [7] The Maillard reaction and lipid degradation are also involved in flavor formation of pot-stewed chicken meat products. [8,9] However, our previous research has shown that lipid degradation plays an important role in flavor formation of chicken soup.…”

“…[8,9] However, our previous research has shown that lipid degradation plays an important role in flavor formation of chicken soup. [7] Therefore, it is possible that lipid degradation may be the predominant flavor-forming reaction in stewed chicken meat. One aim of this work was to determine whether lipid degradation or other thermal reactions contribute to the flavor of stewed chicken meat cooked by long-term boiling of yellow-feathered chickens.…”