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. 2025 Jul 23:12:1629738.
doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1629738. eCollection 2025.

Comparative analysis of the quality characteristics and flavor volatiles of Lueyang black-bone chicken meatballs cooked via different methods

Wen Su #  1   2 , Shibo Zhao #  1   2 , Jinfeng Zhou  1   2 , Linjie Xi  1   2 , Wengang Jin  1   2 , A M Abd El-Aty  3   4
Affiliations

Comparative analysis of the quality characteristics and flavor volatiles of Lueyang black-bone chicken meatballs cooked via different methods

Wen Su et al. Front Nutr. .

Abstract

Chicken meatballs are well received by consumers. This study evaluated the physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of Lueyang black-bone chicken meatballs prepared via three different cooking methods-steaming, boiling, and frying-and further analyzed their volatile compound profiles via gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS). Compared with the steamed and boiled samples, the fried meatballs presented the highest sensory scores and greater hardness, adhesiveness, and chewiness (p < 0.05). Moreover, the color parameters [L*(34.67 ± 1.63), a*(6.89 ± 0.07), b*(15.12 ± 0.79)] of the fried samples differed notably from those of the other samples (p < 0.05), indicating the effect of thermal processing on their appearance. A total of 42 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), primarily ketones (31.92-47.55%), acids (17.57-24.33%), and esters (8.53-16.67%), were identified. OPLS-DA with VIP analysis (VIP > 1.0, p < 0.05) revealed 17 differential VOCs, with (E)-3-hexen-1-ol, hexanal, and ethyl 2-methylpropanoate significantly upregulated in fried samples (log2FC > 1). Overall, fried Lueyang black-bone chicken meatballs presented more favorable quality attributes. These results may offer valuable insights for the value-added development of Lueyang black-bone chicken meatball products.

Keywords: GC–IMS; air-frying; black-boned chicken; boiling; steaming; volatile compounds.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Lueyang black-boned chicken meatballs cooked by boiling, steaming, and frying methods: (A) appearance, (B) hardness, (C) elasticity, (D) cohesiveness, (E) chewiness, and quality change rate (F).
Figure 2
Figure 2
VOCs of black-bone chicken meatballs: (A,B) GC–IMS 2D overview spectra and difference spectra; (C) fingerprint.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chicken meatballs under different heating conditions: (A) proportion of volatile compounds in different groups; (B) PCA plot of all VOCs; (C) OPLS-DA model validation plot; (D) VIP values; (E) heatmap of differential compounds; (F) PCA plot of differential VOCs.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Identification of upregulated or downregulated substances with a threshold of log2FC > 1 or <−1 (p < 0.05) and VIP > 1: (A) boiled vs. fried and (B) steamed vs. fried.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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