Zhiqing Tian , Wusun Li , Jialin Li , Xiaoyan Tang*

Food Chemistry；2026

Abstract:

Thermal processing profoundly reshapes food aroma, yet the characterization of key aromas in different breeds of pork is still limited. In this study, five pork breeds, including Bama Xiang pig (BM), Shenxian & times;Landrace (SX), Rongchang pig (RC), Tibetan pig (ZX), and the Duroc & times;Landrace & times;Yorkshire (DLY), were selected for comparative analysis of their flavor characteristics. The characteristic aroma profiles of five breeds of pork cooked at high temperatures were analyzed using headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS), gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), aroma recombination, and Omission experiments. Six key aroma-active compounds, including 2-acetylthiazole, 2-pentylfuran, hexanal, (E)-2-heptenal, (E)-2-nonenal, and benzaldehyde, were the breed-characteristic key contributors following high-temperature cooking. In order to explore the potential interactions between Maillard reaction-derived aroma compounds and human olfactory receptors (ORs), the interactions between 215 ORs and aroma compounds were investigated using computational chemistry. The results indicated that there might be a molecular interaction between 2-acetylthiazole and OR5K1.