Application of gas chromatography‐ion mobility spectrometry (GC‐IMS) and ultrafast gas chromatography electronic‐nose (uf‐GC E‐nose) to distinguish four Chinese freshwater fishes at both raw and cooked status

Abstract

The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in four Chinese freshwater fishes (i.e., Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (H), Aristichthys nobilis (A), Lateolabrax japonicus (L), Parabramis pekinensis (P)) were separated using gas chromatography‐ion mobility spectrometry (GC‐IMS) and ultrafast gas chromatography electronic‐nose (uf‐GC E‐nose). Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to distinguish the VOCs identified from the four freshwater fishes in both raw and cooked states. Twenty compounds were identified from the spectral database of GC‐IMS, including five aldehydes, eight alcohols, six ketones, and three esters. In addition, using GC E‐nose, 32 compounds were isolated by the first column MTX‐5, and 24 compounds were isolated by the second column MXT‐1701. PCA results showed that the four fishes could be well discriminated against. The odor profiles of raw and cooked fishes were clearly different. This study demonstrated that specific signals provided from GC‐IMS could differentiate freshwater fishes. GC‐IMS and uf‐GC E‐nose could be developed further to distinguish aquatic products based on VOCs. Practical applications Two new methods, gas chromatography‐ion mobility spectrometry (GC‐IMS) and ultrafast gas chromatography electronic‐nose (uf‐GC E‐nose), were used to analyze the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in four Chinese freshwater fishes at raw and cooked status. GC‐IMS has the characteristics of fast detection speed and high sensitivity. The accuracy of the qualitative analysis of the compounds is better with GC‐IMS (larger data volume, leading to a better in‐depth statistical analysis). Uf‐GC E‐nose could provide a nondestructive, fast, relatively low cost, and trustworthy way for flavor analysis. According to the techniques, the established fingerprints of VOCs provided an additional tool for food analysis.

Characterization of the Volatile Compounds of Zhenba Bacon at Different Process Stages Using GC–MS and GC–IMS

“…The GC-IMS approach was implemented to detect the flavor characteristics of food volatile compounds, which are usually employed to distinguish the odor characteristics of different samples. At present, the technique is commonly applied in meat [13,14], fruits [15,16], and wine [17]. Most of the previous studies mainly focused on the aroma and quality control and grading from food.…”

Changes of Volatile Flavor Compounds in Large Yellow Croaker (Larimichthys crocea) during Storage, as Evaluated by Headspace Gas Chromatography–Ion Mobility Spectrometry and Principal Component Analysis

“…More specifically, each heat map indicates the content of the given volatile compound [ 38 ]. Such fingerprints provide a panoramic view of all the volatile compounds present in the samples after different storage periods, and a number of unidentified substances are also displayed (Arabic numerals 1–8) [ 39 , 40 , 41 ].…”

“…More specifically, each heat map indicates the content of the given volatile compound [38]. Such fingerprints provide a panoramic view of all the volatile compounds present in the samples after different storage periods, and a number of unidentified substances are also displayed (Arabic numerals 1-8) [39][40][41]. Based on the data presented in Figures 4 and 6, it is apparent that the fish meat of large yellow croaker contains different volatile organic compound fingerprints after the various storage times.…”

The Application of Bacillus subtilis for Adhesion Inhibition of Pseudomonas and Preservation of Fresh Fish

“…The differential substances in the H_0 group mainly included 1,3-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-benzene, methoxy-phenyl-oxime, 6-octadecenoic acid, and 1,3-trans,5-cis-octariene, while the Con_0 group included ethanol, alkanes, hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester, hexadecanal, tetradecanoic acid, and ethyl ester ( Figure 7 a). Saturated hydrocarbons, such as tetradecane and heptadecane, have mild odors [ 31 ]; ethanol has a slight pungent taste [ 32 ]; hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester, and hexadecanal are the main sources of fresh flavor in aquatic animals; tetradecanoic acid and ethyl ester have a slight sweet and waxy smell; and methoxy-phenyl-oxime has a fishy smell [ 5 , 33 ]. These are the common flavor compounds of fresh aquatic fish.…”