Volatile profiles of fresh rice noodles fermented with pure and mixed cultures.

Abstract The volatile profiles of fresh rice noodles (FRN) fermented with pure and five commercial mixed cultures were studied by using solid phase micro extraction/ gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, electronic nose, and sensory evaluations. The main volatile compounds of FRN by pure culture included aldehydes represented by nonanal, octanal, and 2,4-Pentadienal, and alcohols represented by hexanol and 1-nonanol. Its aroma profiles showed remarkable changes during the storage time from 0 to 30 h, indicating the reduction in aldehydes and the increase in alcohols and isoamyl alcohol. Significant variations such as the types, relative amounts, and category distributions of volatile compounds were observed in FRN by five mixed cultures. The bacterial compositions of these mixed cultures were quite different, which might be responsible for the significant variations in volatile profiles. Principal component analysis on E -nose data demonstrated that FRN by Culture A, B, and C shared similar flavor, while FRN by Culture D and E possessed different aroma compared to the above three. FRN produced with pure fermentation showed the highest score in sensory evaluation, whereas FRN by mixed cultures indicated rice fragrance, light fragrance, peculiar smell, or foul smell. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Aroma profiles of fresh rice noodles (FRN) fermented by various cultures were studied. • FRN volatile compounds included aldehydes, ketones, hydrocarbons alcohols, and acids. • Volatile profiles of FRN fermented by pure culture remarkably changed during storage. • FRN fermented by five mixed cultures showed obvious variations in volatile compounds. • FRN fermented with pure culture showed a superior flavor compared with mixed cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]