Analysis of Characteristic Flavor Substances of Yak Part Meat Based on GC-IMS

In order to clarify the characteristic flavor compounds of yak part meat, gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) was used to analyze the volatile compounds in 20 parts of yak meat, and the characteristic flavor compounds in yak part meat were analyzed by fingerprinting, principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA) and partial least squares (PLS). The results showed that 43 flavor compounds were detected by GC-IMS in 20 parts of yak meat, including 7 alcohols, 6 aldehydes, 6 ketones, 8 esters, 3 acids, 2 alkenes, and 11 heterocycles. The characteristic peak areas in different parts of yak meat were obtained by drawing fingerprints, among which 2-ethylfuran, 2-methylpyrazine, propionic acid, trans-2-pentenal, 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone, 2-methacrolein and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether were the main characteristic flavor compounds in 20 parts of yak meat. The results of PCA and CA showed that the 20 parts of yak meat were clustered into two major groups. Twelve signature compounds, including 1-pentene and 2-ethylfuran, were screened out by PLS, and 3-methylbutyraldehyde, ethyl 2-methylpropionate, and 1-penten-3-one were identified by the relative odor activity value (ROAV) of the yak meat, which ROAV were greater than 1, indicating that they were the key substances influencing the flavor differences of the yak meat parts. The results of this study would provide a theoretical basis for the evaluation of yak part meat quality and deep processing.