Advancements in Multi-Omics Approaches to Flavour Chemistry and Food Matrix Interactions for Understanding Sensory Quality

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 1791

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
Interests: flavour chemistry; sensory science; plant-based product development; wine; seafood; legume

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Guest Editor
La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
Interests: aroma; volatile; off-flavour; aromatic plants; thermally generated flavour

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Good flavour is the foundation of all food products.

Recently, the application of multi-omics approaches has greatly advanced our understanding of the fundamental principles underlying food composition and flavour formation. In addition, studies exploring the interactions among proteins, carbohydrates, polyphenols, and odour- or taste-active compounds within the food matrix have provided a more comprehensive view of the dynamic processes that occur when flavour compounds are generated or incorporated into foods. Combined with sensory evaluation, these insights have played a crucial role in advancing both academic research and industry innovation.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent progress and emerging trends in flavour, food texture, and sensory sciences. We welcome original research focusing on food materials, seasonings, finished food products, and novel plant-based alternatives.

Dr. Jiaqiang Luo
Dr. Xueli Pang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • flavour chemistry
  • sensory science
  • food texture
  • multi-omics
  • food matrix interactions
  • plant-based products
  • beverage
  • fermented foods
  • seafood
  • legume
  • food innovation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4145 KB  
Article
Investigating the Spatial Heterogeneity of Microbial Communities and Flavor Compounds During the First Fermentation Stage of Sauce-Flavor Baijiu
by Fangling Wen, Feifei Lu, Yu Zhao, Jiehua You, Shengfeng Li, Minna Yao, Xitao Cao and Yonghui Lin
Foods 2026, 15(11), 1849; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15111849 - 23 May 2026
Abstract
The first fermentation round serves as the critical starting point for the formation of the sauce-flavor style. However, the spatial heterogeneity and intrinsic relationships between the microbial community, physicochemical properties, and flavor compounds in the first-round fermented grains remain unclear. In this work, [...] Read more.
The first fermentation round serves as the critical starting point for the formation of the sauce-flavor style. However, the spatial heterogeneity and intrinsic relationships between the microbial community, physicochemical properties, and flavor compounds in the first-round fermented grains remain unclear. In this work, microbial communities and volatile compounds across different layers of the fermentation pit were investigated. Results showed both acidity and ethanol content decreased with increasing depth. Lactobacillus was the dominant bacterial genus across all layers, whereas the dominant fungal genera exhibited marked spatial stratification: Trichosporon prevailed in the bottom layer, while Pichia dominated the middle and upper layers. Ethyl phenylacetate served as the backbone aroma compound across all layers, but distinct layer-specific flavor compounds were identified. Nonanal, potentially correlated with Trichosporon, was the key flavor compound in the bottom layer; phenolic compounds characterized the middle layer, and Pichia-associated esters such as isoamyl acetate dominated the upper layer. Correlation analysis confirmed significant associations between specific microbial taxa and ester accumulation. Notably, Pichia and Trichosporon exhibited opposing correlations with multiple flavor compounds, suggesting metabolic differentiation. This study clarified the spatial distribution of microorganisms and flavors and provided correlational insights into flavor formation in traditional baijiu fermentation. Full article
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16 pages, 2537 KB  
Article
Effects of Roasting Conditions on the Quality of Sesame Oil: Sensory Profiles, Volatile Components, Fatty Acids and Oxidative Stability
by Mengke Zheng, Yan Chen, Peiwen Yang, Yinan Yang, Guihong Qi, Peng Li, Wuduo Zhao, Shihao Sun and Donghao Zhang
Foods 2026, 15(1), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15010146 - 2 Jan 2026
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Abstract
Sesame oil is one of the most popular sesame products for consumers. Roasting is a commonly employed heat treatment method in sesame oil processing. This work aims to investigate the effects of roasting temperature and time on sensory profiles, volatile components, fatty acid [...] Read more.
Sesame oil is one of the most popular sesame products for consumers. Roasting is a commonly employed heat treatment method in sesame oil processing. This work aims to investigate the effects of roasting temperature and time on sensory profiles, volatile components, fatty acid composition, and oxidative stability of the oil. Quantitative descriptive sensory analysis was employed to reveal changes in aroma characteristics of sesame oils from different roasting conditions. Volatile compounds of the oils were analyzed via headspace solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS), identifying 56 components, including 30 key aroma-active compounds (odor activity value, OAV ≥ 1) across 18 samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to explore the effect of roasting conditions on volatiles of sesame oils. The oxidative stability of the oils was also determined by RapidOxy reactor. The results demonstrated that the effect of roasting time on the flavor of sesame oil was greater than that of temperature. Moreover, the effect of roasting conditions (temperature/time) on the fatty acid profile of sesame oil was not significant. This provided some theoretical foundation and data support for improving the processing technology of sesame oil and controlling its flavor quality. Full article
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