Generation of Meaty Aroma from Onion (Allium cepa L.) with Polyporus umbellatus: Fermentation System, Sensory Profile, and Aroma Characterization

Abstract

One of the main reasons for consumer rejection of plant-based meat alternatives is the lack of meaty flavor after cooking. In this study, a platform was developed to generate meaty flavors solely from Allium substrates (chives, leeks, ramsons, and onions) using basidiomycete-mediated submerged fermentations. Polyporus umbellatus-mediated fermentation of onions resulted in an intense meaty and liver sausage-like flavor under proper fermentation parameters. Using multisolvent and solvent-free aroma extractions coupled with gas chromatography−mass spectrometry−olfactometry, 5 odorants with high assigned flavor dilution (FD) factors (≥ 256) were identified in the fermented sample that have been reported in the literature as important aroma compounds of meat products: methyl palmitate, bis(2-methyl-furyl) disulfide, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, γ-nonalactone, and eugenol. Using selected ion monitoring, the presence of bis(2-methyl-furyl) disulfide (meaty, savory, FD 256) after fermentation was confirmed. It was proposed that P. umbellatus enzymatically forms bis(2-methyl-furyl) disulfide from intermediates derived from the thermal degradation of thiamine.

Mechanisms underlying the formation of main volatile odor sulfur compounds in foods during thermal processing

“…This pathway is essential for the transformation of thials into VSCs (Choi et al, 2017). Additionally, diene synthesis reactions (Diers-Adel reactions) between thials and compounds with isoprene units can result in the formation of six-membered ring sulfide compounds (Alam et al, 2023;Stoppelmann et al, 2023). However, there are few reports on the chemical and flavor characteristics of this compound.…”