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Foods
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Novel Insights into Food Flavor Chemistry and Analysis
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Novel Insights into Food Flavor Chemistry and Analysis

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Quality and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 1361

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Gianluca Tripodi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Human Science and Quality of Life Promotion, University San Raffaele, Rome, Italy
Interests: chemical, physical, and sensory characterizations of agro-food products; determination of bioactive substances for the formulation of functional foods; determination of the shelf-life of foods and on product and process quality control; analytical chemistry based on mass spectrometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Roberta Foligni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Human Science and Quality of Life Promotion, University San Raffaele, Rome, Italy
Interests: chromatography; food chemistry; mass spectrometry; food science and technology; food analysis; lipid characterization; volatile profile; innovative and emerging food technologies; novel food; functional foods; innovative foods; food quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aromatic fingerprints include a set of fundamental information about foodstuffs. The profile of volatile compounds, which characterize a food, can be used as indicators of quality, shelf life, and also as a tool for determining the authenticity of a food product. Furthermore, this is a determining factor in the process of acceptance of the product by the consumer, with rather important economic implications. Chemical characterization coupled with traditional instrumental analyses, as well as more innovative analyses, are a key part of evaluating the effects of new treatments, production processes, product innovations, or uses of innovative ingredients. In some cases, it has been highlighted that even real-time monitoring of the evolution of the volatile fraction provides valuable information on the complete characterization of a food throughout the entire transformation process.

The results of this research are widely applied in the agri-food sector, such as in the traceability, inspection, and control processes, and processes regarding consumer preferences, marketing, and many others.

The production of scientific articles in terms of sensorial and flavor science have provided a significant contribution to the growth of food science and technology.

This Special Issue aims to collect high-quality manuscripts related to the title, ‘Novel Insights in Food Flavour Chemistry and Analysis’.

We are pleased to invite you to submit original research manuscripts and review articles focusing on advances in flavor chemistry and instrumental analysis for the characterization of food matrices.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Gianluca Tripodi
Dr. Roberta Foligni
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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-blind 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 analysis
  • SPME/GC–MS analysis
  • food flavor
  • volatile aroma compounds
  • sensory profile
  • consumer acceptance
  • novel food
  • innovative ingredients
  • emerging technologies

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2710 KiB  
Article
Characterization of the Quality and Flavor in Chinese Sausage: Comparison Between Cantonese, Five-Spice, and Mala Sausages
by Xuemei Cai, Yi Zeng, Kaixian Zhu, Yiqin Peng, Pei Xv, Ping Dong, Mingfeng Qiao and Wenjiao Fan
Foods 2025, 14(11), 1982; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14111982 - 4 Jun 2025
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Abstract
With the increasing popularity of traditional Chinese sausages both domestically and internationally, the flavor characteristics of sausages have become an important topic in food science research. However, comparative studies on the flavor differences between different types of traditional Chinese sausages are still limited. [...] Read more.
With the increasing popularity of traditional Chinese sausages both domestically and internationally, the flavor characteristics of sausages have become an important topic in food science research. However, comparative studies on the flavor differences between different types of traditional Chinese sausages are still limited. This study aimed to systematically compare the flavor profiles of three representative types of traditional Chinese sausages (Cantonese, Five-Spice, and Mala sausages), with 20 samples randomly selected from one batch of 100 sausages per type produced in December 2024, using a combination of headspace gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS), amino acid analysis, electronic sensory analysis, and sensory evaluation techniques. Sensory evaluation revealed that Mala sausage exhibited a strong and numbing flavor. Cantonese sausage was characterized by sweet and alcoholic notes, while Five-Spice sausage displayed a more subtle and gentle flavor profile. A total of 39 volatile compounds were identified, with 2-methyl-1-butanol, 2-butanone, and butanal being the most abundant across all samples. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) further pinpointed (+)-limonene, (Z)-ocimene, α-terpinene, β-myrcene, β-pinene, γ-terpinene, 2-pentanol, 2-octanone, and 1-hexanal as the key differential compounds responsible for the distinct flavor characteristics of each sausage type. Additionally, the free amino acid content in Mala sausage was significantly higher than that in the others, with glutamic acid and proline playing pivotal roles in shaping the taste profiles. These findings provide valuable theoretical and technical insights for the identification and control of flavor in sausage production, offering a scientific basis for guiding consumer preferences in sausages’ selection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into Food Flavor Chemistry and Analysis)
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15 pages, 1619 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Aroma, Sensory Properties, and Consumer Acceptability of Honey from Capparis spinosa L.
by Gianluca Tripodi, Maria Merlino, Marco Torre, Concetta Condurso, Antonella Verzera and Fabrizio Cincotta
Foods 2025, 14(11), 1978; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14111978 - 3 Jun 2025
Viewed by 76
Abstract
The increasing scarcity of traditional nectar sources due to climate change has led beekeepers to explore alternative floral sources. This study investigates the volatile profile, sensory characteristics, and consumer acceptability of monofloral honey derived from Capparis spinosa L., a drought-resistant Mediterranean plant. Honey [...] Read more.
The increasing scarcity of traditional nectar sources due to climate change has led beekeepers to explore alternative floral sources. This study investigates the volatile profile, sensory characteristics, and consumer acceptability of monofloral honey derived from Capparis spinosa L., a drought-resistant Mediterranean plant. Honey samples produced by Apis mellifera ssp. sicula on Aeolian Islands (Sicily, Italy) were analyzed. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were extracted using headspace solid–phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), revealing 59 compounds, with dimethyl sulfide being the predominant one. Sensory evaluation using quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) and Time Intensity (TI) analysis identified distinctive descriptors such as sweet-caramel, cabbage/cauliflower, and pungent notes. Statistical analyses confirmed correlations between specific VOCs and sensory perceptions. A consumer acceptability test involving 80 participants showed lower preference scores for caper honey in terms of aroma and overall acceptability compared to commercial multifloral honey, with differences observed across age groups. The unique aromatic profile and consumer feedback suggest that caper honey has strong potential as a niche, high-quality product, particularly within the context of climate-resilient beekeeping, offering valuable opportunities for innovation and diversification in sustainable apiculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into Food Flavor Chemistry and Analysis)
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22 pages, 1466 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Aroma Emissions in ‘Gala’ Apples Stored in Ethanol- and Hexanal-Enriched Controlled Atmosphere
by Erika Jesenko, Rajko Vidrih and Emil Zlatić
Foods 2025, 14(6), 930; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14060930 - 9 Mar 2025
Viewed by 976
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of extended and constant ethanol and hexanal exposure on ‘Gala’ apples’ production of aroma compounds after long-term CA storage. ‘Gala’ apples were stored in a CA under 2 kPa O2 and 98 [...] Read more.
The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of extended and constant ethanol and hexanal exposure on ‘Gala’ apples’ production of aroma compounds after long-term CA storage. ‘Gala’ apples were stored in a CA under 2 kPa O2 and 98 kPa N2 at 1.0 ± 0.1 °C with a constant ethanol (CA-et) or hexanal (CA-he) concentration maintained at 50 µgL−1 throughout a six-month storage period. A total of 25 volatile compounds (VOCs) were identified. The odor activity value (OAV) results show that nine VOCs were key aroma compounds. Among them, hexyl acetate, 2-methylbutyl acetate, and 1-butanol were the highest. Hexanal increased the production of hexyl acetate, while ethanol increased the production of 2-methylbutyl acetate and ethyl 2-methylbutanoate. Both precursors promoted the production of 1-butanol after two months of storage and 1 day of shelf life. Overall, the impact of the precursors on aroma production was more pronounced after two months than after six months of storage. Different storage atmospheres significantly influenced VOC correlations, suggesting that ethanol and hexanal addition altered aroma biosynthesis pathways in the ‘Gala’ apples. For varieties like ‘Gala’ that rapidly lose their aroma during CA storage, CA-et and CA-he treatments may be beneficial for short-term storage, enhancing key aroma compounds and improving sensory quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into Food Flavor Chemistry and Analysis)
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