Effect of sous vide cooking treatment on the quality, structural properties and flavor profile of duck meat

This study analyzed the influence of cooking temperature (60, 70 or 80 °C) and time (2, 6, 12 or 24 h) on the quality of duck meat cooked in sous vide method. Cooking loss, color, texture, microstructure, flavor profile and lipid oxidation were investigated. Temperature and time affected quality properties. As cooking temperature increased, the values of cooking loss, yellowness, adhesiveness increased; but the values of lightness, redness, hardness decreased. Increasing cooking time led to higher cooking loss, yellowness and lower lightness, redness, hardness, springiness, chewiness. Texture and microstructure results showed the mild treatment in sous vide cooking provided tender meat. The flavor profile of duck meat was evaluated by sensory analysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and odor activity values (OAVs). Sensory results indicated that samples cooked at moderate conditions (70 °C for 6 or 12 h) showed better sensory characteristic with higher meaty, fatty and umami note. The volatile compounds reached the highest concentration in duck meat cooked at 70 °C for 6 h and then followed by 70 °C for 12 h. Of these, 14 odor-active compounds with OAVs ≥1 were the main contributors to the overall aroma of duck meat. The OAVs of hexanal, heptanal, octanal, (E)-2-octenal, nonanal, cis-4-decenal, decanal, (E,E)-2,4-nonadienal, 2,4-decadienal, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal and 1-octen-3-ol in samples cooked at 70 °C for 6 h or 12 h were relatively higher than other samples. Therefore, it was suggested that moderate cooking temperature-time combination would produce better flavor characteristic and texture quality of duck meat in sous vide method.