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Volatiles with a pleasant smell are typical characteristics of both raw and cooked seafood. However, the effect of salinity on volatiles in marine bivalves remains unclear. In the current study, the volatiles in raw and cooked Sinonovacula constricta cultured under different salinities were investigated by head space-solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Overall 28 volatiles were identified in the raw samples and mainly comprised 1-pentanol (15.32-23.95%), 1,5-octadien-3-ol (14.20-16.73%) and 1-octen-3-ol (14.20-15.63%). A total of 41 volatiles, dominated by pentanal (32.33-46.80%), 1-pentanol (10.88-16.48%) and hexanal (5.64-13.70%), were determined in the cooked samples. Irrespective of whether they were raw or had been cooked, S. constricta cultured under high salinity possessed more abundant volatiles than those reared under low salinity. When the culture salinity of S. constricta was raised, changes in the volatile content occurred. For S. constricta cultured at low salinity, rearing at high salinity for several days prior to harvest could greatly improve the volatile content. This finding is of value for the improvement of volatiles important for odor and taste in other marine bivalves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]