Preparation and evaluation of mushroom (Lentinus edodes) and mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) as dog food attractant.

Chicken liver is a main protein source to prepare attractant for dog food. However, animal proteins are costly. Seeking high quality and low-cost protein sources has been a goal for the industry. Mushroom Lentinus edodes (L. edodes) and Mealworm Tenebrio molitor (T. molitor) are novel protein sources, showing high potential as raw material of attractants. In this paper, chicken liver, L. edodes, and T. molitor were used as three different protein sources to prepare attractants. Their palatability to dogs were then compared. Firstly, the enzymatic hydrolysis process of three proteins was optimized, with a degree of hydrolysis of 54.82%, 36.10% and 30.14% for chicken liver, L. edodes, and T. molitor respectively. Secondly, volatile compounds of three attractants were identified by HS-SPME/GC-MS and SDE/GC-MS. Using OAV and PLRS method, it was found that bis(2-methyl-3-furyl) disulfide, indole, methional, 2-(methyl thio) phenol, γ-butyrolacton, furfuryl alcohol, acetic acid and isovaleraldehyde were the key components. Although both T. molitor and L. edodes attractant showed less palatability than that of chicken liver, they could be readily improved via adding key palatable volatile compounds. The ingestion rate of dog food with attractant showed a similar trend and was higher than that of food without attractant.

Characterization of Key Aroma Compounds and Construction of Flavor Base Module of Chinese Sweet Oranges.

Sweet orange flavor, with its refreshing, joyful and attractive aroma, is favored by the majority of consumers all over the world. However, the industry terminology between flavorists for flavor evaluation is a bit vague and not intuitive for customers. Therefore, the study focused on analysis of sweet orange aroma and establishment of base module of orange flavor. The approach to the research involves screening key aroma compounds, identifying the attributes aroma and building base module of sweet orange. The notes of sweet orange flavor were determined by GC-O olfaction and sensory evaluation. 25 key aroma compounds with OAV ≥ 1 were screened and divided into eight notes: citrus, fruity, fresh, green, peely, woody, fatty, floral. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to further verify the corresponding relationship between the volatile substances and notes. Terpenes, esters, aldehydes and alcohols compounds can provide these notes. Based on the notes, 8 base modules of sweet orange were built by selecting and matching aroma ingredients. Through this study, beginners could be trained according to the 8 notes of base modules and flavorists can engage in dialogue with different raw material sourcing teams or providers.