Effect of pickling and packaging difference on characteristic flavor quality of ready-to-eat wakame

The regulation of off-odors in the processing and storage of wakame has always been the key point affecting the development of the wakame industry. To enhance the marketability of wakame and elevate the quality of its products, flavonoids, sensory omics, and electronic sensory were employed to investigate the impact of various pickling methods and packaging materials on the flavor quality of ready-to-eat wakame. A total of 55 compounds were identified to flavor the development of wakame, with 18 being particularly influential. After pickling, the contents of β-cyclocitral and caryophyllene in wakame were 485.42 ± 55.43 ng/g and 578.05 ± 16.22 ng/g. Levels of (E)-2-nonenal, (E)-2-decenal, hexanal, and 1-octen-3-one exhibited a gradual decline during processing. Aluminum foil packaging increased the content of main volatile compounds in ready-to-eat wakame. Further, the results provided valuable insights into optimizing both processing techniques and preservation strategies for wakame.