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This review examines analytical methodology for food flavor analysis. Traditionally, flavor chemistry research has relied on sensory-guided chromatography techniques to identify individual compounds responsible for aroma or taste activity. Among the over 12,000 volatile compounds identified in foods, hundreds have been linked to aroma characteristics, and many taste-active compounds have also been discovered. However analytical methods based on singular compound evaluation are not without limitation and can overlook drivers of flavor perception by ignoring potential stimuli (i.e. antagonists, modulators), interactions among stimuli, and sub-threshold activity. More recently, chemical profiling methods coupled with multivariate analysis, termed flavoromics, have led to advances in flavor research. Utilization of flavoromic methods provides additional opportunities to define chemical stimuli that influence flavor profiles and qualities of food, as well as their contributions to complex perceptions, such as consumer acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Untargeted flavoromics and targeted quantitative analysis of key aroma compounds, and analysis of dynamic change of aroma precursors concentration were used to investigate the aroma evolution of traditional braised pork and the underlying mechanism. The results indicated that lipid oxidation dominated at early cooking stage (0th–45th min), resulting in an increased concentration of most aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, such as hexanal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal, (E)-2-octenal, benzaldehyde, 1-octen-3-ol, and 2,3-octanedione, accompanied with an enhanced unpleasant fatty odor. From 45th to 73rd min, the seasonings alleviated excessive oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids accompanied with decreased aldehydes. Moreover, the diffusion of glucose and amino acids from seasonings to lean meat promoted the consumption of endogenous ribose and amino acids in meat through Maillard reaction, and facilitated the formation of dimethyl trisulfide, dimethyl disulfide, methanethiol, and 2-furfural, which contributed to the meaty, sauce-like, and sweety aroma, thus formed the characteristic aroma of traditional braised pork. [Display omitted] • Dominated lipid oxidation from 0th to 45th min led to increased aldehydes. • Glucose and amino acids facilitated Maillard reaction process from 45th to 73rd min. • 2-Pentylfuran, sulfur compounds, and furfurals increased from 45th to 73rd min. • Seasonings weakened oxidation of unsaturated fatty acid from 45th to 73rd min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of Sauce-flavor baijiu hinges on sensory characteristics and key aroma compounds, which traditional methods struggle to evaluate accurately and effectively. This study explores the sensory characteristics and aroma compounds of Sauce-flavor baijiu across different rounds using flavoromics and machine learning, constructing quality grade prediction models. Sensory characteristics shift from acid in the early stages BJ1-BJ2 rounds to sauce in the mid-stages BJ3-BJ5 rounds and caramel in the late stages BJ6-BJ7 rounds. Employing AEDA and OAV analyses, 18 key odor-active compounds were identified, such as ethyl butyrate, ehyl isovalerate, and phenethyl acetate. Additionally machine learning models combined with clustering algorithms achieved high accuracy in predicting quality grades: 85 % (MLP+ HCA), 97 % (XGBoost+ K-means), and 84 % (Random Forest+ GMM). The SHAP model identified 20 key aroma compounds, including diethyl succinate, Tetramethylpyrazine, and Acetaldehyde, determining quality concentration thresholds. This study offers robust methods for baijiu flavor control and quality evaluation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Fermented Amaranth stems is a traditional Chinese fermented vegetable known for its distinctive aroma, produced through natural microbial fermentation. However, the metabolic processes, flavor compounds, and microbial communities involved in its fermentation are not well understood. This study provides a comprehensive analysis using an integrated approach combining flavoromics, untargeted metabolomics, and metagenomics to examine the dynamic changes in metabolites and microbiota during fermentation. A total of 108 volatile organic compounds were identified, with sugar metabolism peaking on the third day of fermentation. The microbial community analysis revealed that key genera such as Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Pectobacterium, and Enterobacter play a significant role in flavor formation. The findings offer critical insights into the fermentation mechanisms and the production of flavor compounds, providing a foundation for optimizing fermentation processes and improving the flavor quality of fermented Amaranth stems. This research holds practical significance for enhancing food safety by controlling microbial communities during fermentation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)