Characterization of key odor-active compounds in pure chicken powder and the effect of yeast extract, using instrumental and sensory techniques

Pure chicken powder (PCP) is a reliable source of mellow chicken soup flavor in seasoning, but it has some unstable compounds and is prone to lipid oxidation, which leads to unpleasant odor. Adding yeast extract (YE) can reduce the off-odor intensity of PCP. Based on the results of gas chromatography–olfactometry–mass spectrometry (GC–O-MS), two-dimensional comprehensive gas chromatography–olfactometry–mass spectrometry (GC×GC–O–MS) and combined aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), 14 key odor-active compounds were identified. Internal standard curve method was used for quantitative analysis, and the odor activity value (OAV) was calculated. Octanal, 1-octen-3-ol and hexanal were found to be the most vital odor-active compounds in PCP. The odor-active compounds of YE were studied by the same method, and dimethyl trisulfide was identified as the most important odor-active compound of YE. Additionally, recombination and omission experiments were carried out with PCP. Finally, it was found that a low concentration of dimethyl trisulfide had masking effect on the odor of PCP.