Evaluation of flavor characteristics of bacon smoked with different woodchips by HS-SPME-GC-MS combined with an electronic tongue and electronic nose

This study investigated the effects of different woodchip types (beech, oak, pear, and apple) on the volatile compounds and sensory characteristics of smoked bacon. The volatile compounds were influenced by woodchip types and the total content of ketones and phenols in pear-smoked bacon were higher than in bacon smoked with other woodchips (P < 0.05). The E-tongue combined with E-nose can effectively distinguish the difference in the flavor of bacon smoked with different woodchip types by the signal intensities. Sensory analysis showed that smoking increased bacon's redness, saltiness, and smoky flavor compared with the control (unsmoked bacon) (P < 0.05) and it had little impact on off-odor (P > 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the E-nose and E-tongue data were highly correlated with contents of alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones. This study revealed that the different smoked materials greatly influenced the flavor and sensory properties of bacon.