Application of Electronic Nose, Electronic Tongue Intelligent Detection Combined with SPME-GC-MS in the Identification of Flavor Characteristics of Yushu Yak

The current study aimed to investigate the difference of volatile compounds in Qinghai Yushu yak. In this experiment, brisket, round, tenderloin, bottom round of yak was taken as the research object, the electronic nose, electronic tongue intelligent detection combined with the solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method (SPME-GC-MS) to analyze the flavor, the principal component analysis (PCA), the cluster analysis (CA) and correlation analysis (Pearson) of yak meat. The results showed that the taste intensity of electronic tongue was significantly different, the taste of different parts of yak meat was significantly different, and the taste of sample HT was better than that of other samples. The principal component analysis results of electronic nose showed that HT, HB and QT were close to the X axis, and the odor characteristics were similar. A total of 57 volatile compounds were detected in yak meat, including aldehydes (12 kinds), alcohols (11 kinds), hydrocarbons (11 kinds), acids (5 kinds), ketones (3 kinds), and other miscellaneous sulfur compounds (15 kinds). Among them, the results of PCA-GC-MS showed the contents of benzaldehyde, nonaldehyde, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, m-xylene, allyl methyl sulfide and 2-acetylpyrrole in the bottom round of yak were significantly different from those in other parts, indicating that the flavor of bottom round of yak was significantly different from that in other parts which was the same as the results of electronic nose PCA showed that data analysis. The results would provide a theoretical basis and a data reference for the processing technology and flavor characteristic identification of yak in the future.