Different analysis of flavors among soft-boiled chicken: Based on GC-IMS and PLS-DA

To identify the influence of different chicken varieties on the flavor of soft-boiled chicken, four kinds of raw chicken materials including Tuergong, Huangyou, Mahuang and Feizifeng were used to produce soft-boiled chicken by traditional methods. Tuergong had the highest content of sweet and umami amino acids at 6.11%, 7.30% respectively. Huangyou was rich in moisture, but low in adenosine monophosphate of 30.10 mg/100 g. The chewiness and flavor nucleotide content of Mahuang were the minimum. Feizifeng had the slightest resilience and large number of flavor nucleotides. Combined with the results of electronic tongue, electronic nose, sensory evaluation and Gas Chromatography-Ion Mobility Spectrometry (GC-IMS), it was found that Tuergong had a relatively high score of taste and aroma with the largest value of electronic tongue of umami. However, the four varieties of soft-boiled chickens had no significant differences in the overall preference. Based on the partial least square discriminant analysis, 11 important volatile aroma compounds were identified. In addition, sweet and umami amino acids including Proline, Aspartic acid, Alanine and Glutamic acid were the most important substances affecting the flavor difference of soft-boiled chicken. In conclusion, white-feathered chicken Feizifeng can replace yellow-feathered chicken to produce soft-boiled chicken.