Generation of Meaty Aroma from Onion (<i>Allium cepa</i> L.) with <i>Polyporus umbellatus</i>: Fermentation System, Sensory Profile, and Aroma Characterization
Felix Stöppelmann, Lap Fei Chan, Jiaqi Liang, Marit Greiß, Ann‐Sophie Lehnert, Christopher Pfaff, Thomas Langenberg, Lin Zhu, Yanyan Zhang
Abstract
One of the main reasons for consumer rejection of plant-based meat alternatives is the lack of meaty flavor after cooking. In this study, a platform was developed to generate meaty flavors solely from Allium substrates (chives, leeks, ramsons, and onions) using basidiomycete-mediated submerged fermentations. Polyporus umbellatus -mediated fermentation of onions resulted in an intense meaty and liver sausage-like flavor under proper fermentation parameters. Using multisolvent and solvent-free aroma extractions coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry–olfactometry, 5 odorants with high assigned flavor dilution (FD) factors (≥ 256) were identified in the fermented sample that have been reported in the literature as important aroma compounds of meat products: methyl palmitate, bis(2-methyl-furyl) disulfide, ( E,E )-2,4-decadienal, γ-nonalactone, and eugenol. Using selected ion monitoring, the presence of bis(2-methyl-furyl) disulfide (meaty, savory, FD 256) after fermentation was confirmed. It was proposed that P. umbellatus enzymatically forms bis(2-methyl-furyl) disulfide from intermediates derived from the thermal degradation of thiamine.