Comparative multimodal profiling of flavor signatures in indigenous Chinese pork breeds and muscle cuts using GC-MS, E-nose, and quality attributes.

Abstract

Native Chinese pig breeds are highly valued for their superior meat quality and distinct flavor characteristics. This study compared the volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles of five Chinese pork varieties, representing three breeds and two anatomical cuts (neck and ham). Aroma-active compounds were characterized using an electronic nose (E-nose) and headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). A total of 536 and 655 VOCs were detected in the neck and ham cuts, respectively, with aldehydes, alcohols, and esters being the dominant classes. Among these, odor-active compounds such as octanal, nonanal, heptanal, hexanal, hexanoic acid methyl ester and 1-octen-3-ol were the main contributors to the overall pork flavor. Their odor activity values (OAVs) ranged from 2.40 to 1195.06 in the neck cut and 3.63 to 643.33 in the ham cut, highlighting their significant influence on aroma profiles. Moreover, the neck cut exhibited significantly higher intramuscular content, correlating positively with lipid-derived volatiles associated with desirable flavor notes. Multivariate analysis revealed distinct flavor fingerprints among breeds and cuts. These findings provide new insights into the flavor chemistry of indigenous Chinese pork and contribute to improving meat quality evaluation and product differentiation strategies.