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Sensory Detection and Analysis in Food Industry—2nd Edition
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Sensory Detection and Analysis in Food Industry—2nd Edition

A Special Issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158) belonging to the section "Food Analytical Methods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2026 | Viewed by 3460

Editors

Dr. Jianan Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food Science and Engineering, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Interests: food flavor chemistry; food sensory perception mechanisms; biological fermentation and enzyme engineering; protein deep processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dongrui Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Beijing Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety, School of Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China
2. Key Laboratory of Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light Industry, School of Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China
Interests: food flavour; food microorganisms; food consumption trends; enzyme engineering; food industry production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “Sensory Detection and Analysis in Food Industry—2nd Edition,” welcomes research that advances how foods are perceived, measured, and optimized from molecule to marketplace. We invite studies spanning flavour chemistry and “flavoromics,” the roles of food microorganisms in generating or degrading key aroma and taste compounds, as well as consumer behaviour in shaping acceptance across cultures and demographics. Methodological contributions are encouraged, including human sensory evaluation (trained panels and consumers); cross-modal perception; texture and oral tribology; and state-of-the-art instrumental approaches such as GC-MS/O, PTR-MS, LC-MS-based metabolomics, electronic nose/tongue systems, and analytical processing technologies. Work on enzyme engineering and biocatalysis for flavour precursor formation, off-note mitigation, and process intensification are all included in the scope of this Special Issue, as well as fermentation and starter culture strategies that link microbiomes to sensory outcomes. Submissions exploring the relationship between data science—chemometrics, machine learning, and data fusion—and rapid quality control, authenticity, and shelf-life prediction are especially welcome. We also seek industry-facing studies on scalable production, inline sensing, and sustainability that translate sensory insights into manufacturing decisions. Original research, methods, reviews, benchmarks, datasets, and case studies will be accepted across all food categories (beverages, dairy, meat, plant-based, fermented, confectionery, and beyond).

Best regards,

Dr. Jianan Zhang
Dr. Dongrui Zhao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sensory evaluation
  • flavour chemistry and flavoromics
  • fermentation microbiome
  • enzyme engineering and biocatalysis
  • chemometrics and machine learning
  • instrumental analysis
  • sensory evaluation
  • flavour–health interaction
  • consumer research
  • food quality control

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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15 pages, 1355 KB  
Article
Time-Resolved Profiling of Aroma-Active Compounds During the Persistence of Empty Cup Aroma in Soy Sauce Aroma Type Baijiu
by Dan Qin, Xiangrong Fan, Jiawen Duan, Lin Zhu, Jiaqi Liang, Jingcheng Liu, Yanyan Zhang, Xiaoxue Chen and Hehe Li
Foods 2026, 15(16), 2906; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15162906 - 19 Aug 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 407
Abstract
Empty cup aroma is a distinctive quality attribute of soy sauce aroma type baijiu (SSB), but the compounds responsible for its long persistence and their changes over time are still not well understood. Previous studies have mainly focused on key empty cup odourants [...] Read more.
Empty cup aroma is a distinctive quality attribute of soy sauce aroma type baijiu (SSB), but the compounds responsible for its long persistence and their changes over time are still not well understood. Previous studies have mainly focused on key empty cup odourants at single time points. In this study, a typical commercial SSB was selected and monitored for 30 days using aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), time-resolved odour monitoring, residue peak area analysis and correlation with boiling point. AEDA revealed 65 aroma-active regions, including 63 in SSB, 36 in the empty cup and 34 shared by both. After emptying, the flavour dilution profile changed markedly: fruity esters and volatile aldehydes became less prominent, whereas sotolon showed the highest FD factor in the empty cup (FD 2048), and several acids and pyrazines also became prominent. The number of detectable regions increased from 43 at 0 h to 49 at 6 h, and then gradually decreased to 14 at day 30. Persistence was strongly correlated with boiling point (Spearman’s ρ = 0.7465, p < 0.0001, n = 32). Peak area profiles also showed two general patterns. Low-boiling esters, aldehydes and dimethyl trisulfide decreased rapidly, whereas organic acids, pyrazines, phenylethyl alcohol, γ-nonanolactone and ethyl hexadecanoate showed delayed maxima or non-monotonic changes. These results suggest that persistent empty cup aroma is not simply a residual form of the original baijiu aroma but develops through selective retention and temporal shifts in the contribution of different odourants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensory Detection and Analysis in Food Industry—2nd Edition)
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18 pages, 3918 KB  
Article
Water Status and Flavor Evolution in Vacuum Freeze-Dried Mulberry: A Potential Flavor Transition Point
by Shuang Bi, Mengjia Ren, Chunhe Shi, Fan Yang, Xin Pan, Jihong Wu and Ye Liu
Foods 2026, 15(15), 2618; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15152618 - 27 Jul 2026
Viewed by 402
Abstract
Vacuum freeze drying significantly influences the water status and aroma characteristics of mulberry. This study monitored the dynamic changes in water distribution, non-volatile components, and key aroma-active compounds during a 72 h drying process. The results showed that free water decreased from 85.3% [...] Read more.
Vacuum freeze drying significantly influences the water status and aroma characteristics of mulberry. This study monitored the dynamic changes in water distribution, non-volatile components, and key aroma-active compounds during a 72 h drying process. The results showed that free water decreased from 85.3% to 5.96% at 12 h and then leveled off, marking the entry of the drying process into a slow moisture-change stage. This transition in water status coincided with marked changes in non-volatile and volatile components. After 12 h, the decreases in most free amino acids and reducing sugars, as well as the consumption of linoleic acid, slowed markedly after 12 h; the contents of fruity compounds (ethyl isovalerate, β-ionone) and hexanal decreased by more than 50% within the first 12 h and then stabilized, whereas the lipid oxidation product (E)-2-nonenal began to increase continuously after 12 h. Correlation analysis revealed that free water and bound water were positively correlated with fruity compounds and (E)-2-nonenal, respectively, while linoleic acid was negatively correlated with (E)-2-nonenal. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis further supported the identification of 12 h as a potential turning point for both water status and flavor transformation. Collectively, these findings suggest a coupling relationship between water status and flavor evolution during drying, providing a basis for optimizing vacuum freeze-drying processes to better preserve the characteristic aroma of mulberry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensory Detection and Analysis in Food Industry—2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 6858 KB  
Article
Dual Mechanisms of pH-Dependent Tea Astringency: Binding and Metabolism of Polyphenols Revealed by In Vivo and In Vitro Oral Processing
by Xiaoduo Ma, Jinglin Yu, Jiaoyue Zhang, Huanlu Song, Yanbo Wang and Tianyang Guo
Foods 2026, 15(13), 2315; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15132315 - 29 Jun 2026
Viewed by 435
Abstract
pH critically influences the astringency of tea, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study aimed to elucidate how pH modulates tea astringency through dual mechanisms (polyphenol–saliva binding and polyphenol oral metabolism) with comparable in vivo and in vitro oral processing (OP) [...] Read more.
pH critically influences the astringency of tea, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study aimed to elucidate how pH modulates tea astringency through dual mechanisms (polyphenol–saliva binding and polyphenol oral metabolism) with comparable in vivo and in vitro oral processing (OP) models. After optimizing OP parameters (10 mL, 10 s), the effect of pH (3.0–6.0) on green tea infusion and representative polyphenols (epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), and gallic acid (GA)) was investigated by sensory evaluation, turbidimetry, and paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS). Astringency intensity was shown to increase as pH decreased from 6.0 to 3.5, with a slight decline at pH 3.0. Turbidimetry revealed that lower pH led to greater turbidity increases after OP, indicating enhanced polyphenol–saliva binding. PS-MS revealed that lower pH was associated with greater reductions in polyphenol concentrations and increased formation of metabolites, with changes consistent with the conversion of EGCG to EGC and GA. These pH-dependent trends were consistent between in vivo and in vitro OP and were validated with single polyphenol solutions. Collectively, these findings reveal that pH modulates tea astringency by simultaneously enhancing both binding and metabolism of polyphenols. The comparable in vivo and in vitro OP approach provides a robust platform for mechanistic studies of astringency in complex food systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensory Detection and Analysis in Food Industry—2nd Edition)
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42 pages, 13365 KB  
Article
Discovery and Validation of Novel Umami Peptides from Traditional Broad Bean Paste (Doubanjiang)
by Dandan Song, Yashuai Wu, Yanfei Feng and Liang Yang
Foods 2026, 15(10), 1819; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15101819 - 21 May 2026
Viewed by 899
Abstract
Traditional doubanjiang was investigated to identify endogenous peptides that may contribute to taste maintenance under salt-reduction conditions. Peptidomics identified 1230 peptides at −10logP ≥ 15. UMPred-FRL predicted 161 potential umami peptides, and molecular docking showed that 141 of these peptides could enter the [...] Read more.
Traditional doubanjiang was investigated to identify endogenous peptides that may contribute to taste maintenance under salt-reduction conditions. Peptidomics identified 1230 peptides at −10logP ≥ 15. UMPred-FRL predicted 161 potential umami peptides, and molecular docking showed that 141 of these peptides could enter the binding site of the T1R1/T1R3 receptor. The successfully docked sequences were mainly short oligopeptides containing three to five amino acid residues. Based on docking scores, six representative candidate peptides were screened, namely EESP, SCPH, SSSGF, PDTE, SYH, and DYDS. Docking and MM-GBSA analyses suggested that these peptides mainly bound within the VFT cavity of T1R1/T1R3, and the interacting residues were dominated by polar residues such as Ser, Asn, Gln, and His and hydrophobic residues such as Tyr, Ile, Leu, and Val. MM-GBSA further suggested that vdW was the major favorable contributor, while Lipo supported complex stability. The umami thresholds of the six peptides ranged from 0.14 to 1.09 mmol/L. Experimental validation by threshold determination and sensory addition showed that all six peptides significantly increased saltiness, whereas their effects on umami differed. PDTE showed the strongest umami-enhancing effect, while SSSGF, SYH, and SCPH exhibited more pronounced saltiness synergy. These results suggest that the screened peptides do not necessarily amplify umami in complex food systems, but may contribute to taste maintenance under salt-reduction conditions through umami support, saltiness synergy, and taste-structure remodeling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensory Detection and Analysis in Food Industry—2nd Edition)
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34 pages, 2275 KB  
Article
Mining and Validation of Novel Umami Peptides in Non-Alcoholic Beer by Integrating Machine Learning Prediction, Molecular Docking, and Sensory Validation, and Their Multidimensional Sensory Impacts on Beer Body
by Yashuai Wu, Wenjing Tian, Zihan Shi, Yi Ren, Yiyuan Chen, Xin Yuan, Jiang Xie, Bofeng Zhong and Dongrui Zhao
Foods 2026, 15(10), 1671; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15101671 - 11 May 2026
Viewed by 860
Abstract
This study aimed to identify umami peptides in non-alcoholic beer and clarify their potential contribution to taste reconstruction and aftertaste improvement. Peptides were profiled by RPLC-Q-TOF-MS and screened using machine learning prediction, molecular docking, MM-GBSA analysis, and sensory validation. Under the criteria of [...] Read more.
This study aimed to identify umami peptides in non-alcoholic beer and clarify their potential contribution to taste reconstruction and aftertaste improvement. Peptides were profiled by RPLC-Q-TOF-MS and screened using machine learning prediction, molecular docking, MM-GBSA analysis, and sensory validation. Under the criteria of −10logP ≥ 15 and ALC ≥ 90.00%, 2081 peptides were identified. Among them, 122 potential umami peptides were predicted, and 117 peptides were successfully docked with the T1R1/T1R3 umami receptor. The docked peptides were mainly short to medium oligopeptides, especially tetrapeptides and pentapeptides, which accounted for 40.17% and 35.90%, respectively. Based on docking score, structural diversity, and peptide length distribution, CTGAA, IDQILG, KDTHP, QRQ, and EITGR were selected as representative candidates. These peptides showed favorable receptor binding, mainly supported by hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, and local hydrophobic contacts. Sensory validation further showed that the 5 peptides improved umami and aftertaste cleanliness to different degrees. Umami intensity increased by 7.58% to 22.73%, while aftertaste cleanliness increased by 5.80% to 17.39%. Among them, CTGAA showed the strongest umami enhancement, and QRQ produced the greatest improvement in aftertaste cleanliness. These results suggest that selected umami peptides may contribute to flavor reconstruction in non-alcoholic beer by enhancing umami perception and improving aftertaste quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensory Detection and Analysis in Food Industry—2nd Edition)
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