Reduction of warmed-over flavor in surimi products through unpackaging and boiling: Inhibition of formation and release of key compounds

This study investigated the effects of packaging and heating methods on the WOF in surimi products. Through analysis of odor profiles, gel characteristics, protein and lipid oxidation levels, concentrations and OAVs of WOF, we demonstrated that unpackaged groups exhibited the weakest WOF intensity, accompanied by significantly reduced oxidative degradation compared to other groups. The total amount of aroma compounds in the packaged group was higher than that in the unpackaged group. However, the average release rate of aroma compounds in packaged boiling, packaged steaming, unpackaged boiling and unpackaged steaming group was 23.01%, 25.68%, 22.05%, 31.19% respectively. Moreover., the release rate of most WOF compounds was negatively correlated with the gel strength of surimi products. In conclusion, the samples prepared by unpackaging and boiling not only have the lowest content of aroma compounds but also have the lowest average release rate, which is the best method to reduce the WOF .