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Review
. 2025 Jun 12:29:102646.
doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2025.102646. eCollection 2025 Jul.

Formation of aroma compounds in smoked chickens during the sugar-smoking process using SPME/SAFE-GC-MS and ESR technologies

Runmi Tao  1 , Teng Liu  1 , Huan Liu  2 , Jun Qi  3 , Kexin Cheng  1 , Yumin Niu  1 , Yuting Wang  1 , Yingying Zhang  1 , Dengyong Liu  1
Affiliations
Review

Formation of aroma compounds in smoked chickens during the sugar-smoking process using SPME/SAFE-GC-MS and ESR technologies

Runmi Tao et al. Food Chem X. .

Abstract

Free radicals play crucial roles in the development of grilled meat flavors, but the mechanisms by which they contribute to the formation of flavor compounds in smoked chickens remain unclear. In this study, GC-MS, ESR, and UPLC techniques were employed to analyze the dynamic changes in key flavor compounds, sugars, and free radicals in smoked chickens. A total of 22 (OAVs >1) key volatile compounds were identified in smoked chickens. Additionally, the concentrations of hydroxyl radicals, alkyl peroxy radicals, alkyl radicals, and alkoxy radicals significantly increased with prolonged heating. These free radicals were positively correlated with the formation of flavor compounds such as furfural, heptanal, and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, whereas they were negatively correlated with the formation of butanal, pentanal, and hexanal. This research provides valuable insights for the precise control and optimization of flavors in sugar-cured meat products.

Keywords: Aroma compounds; Free radicals; Lipid oxidation; Sugar-smoked chicken.

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Conflict of interest statement

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.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Changes in the content of various volatile flavor compounds in smoked chicken thighs during the smoking process. Different letters indicate significant differences between smoked chicken thighs with different smoking times (P < 0.05).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Hot plot of volatile flavor compounds content in sugar-smoked chicken thighs during the smoking process.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The ESR spectra of free radicals in smoked chicken thighs during the smoking process (A: Hydroxyl radical; B: Alkyl peroxy radicals; C: Alkyl radicals; D: Alkoxy radicals); The variation in free radical content in smoked chicken thighs during the smoking process (a-d). “WX” represents the group without smoking material, and “X” represents the sugar-smoked group. Lower case letters indicate significant differences between smoked chicken thighs with different smoking times, and upper-case letters indicate significant differences between different sugar-smoked groups with the same smoking time (P < 0.05).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Correlation analysis of key volatile flavor compounds with reducing sugars, free radicals and carbonyl compounds in smoked chicken thighs during the smoking process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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