Effects of Apple, Oak, and Mesquite Wood Chips on the Physicochemical Properties, Volatile Organic Compounds, and Sensory Characteristics of Brined Smoked Goat Semimembranosus

This study investigated the effects of apple, oak, and mesquite wood chip types on the physicochemical properties, VOC profiles, and sensory characteristics of brined smoked goat semimembranosus. Boneless muscles were brined in 1% NaCl and ran-domly assigned to a non-smoked control group or three wood chip-smoked groups. All smoked groups exhibited lower pH and reduced lipid oxidation compared to the con-trol (p < 0.05); TBARS values were significantly lower in all smoked groups than in the control (p < 0.05), indicating improved oxidative stability. Cooking loss and Warner–Bratzler shear force showed no significant differences among groups, indicating that fundamental textural properties were preserved. Notably, mesquite- and oak-smoked meats exhibited significantly higher abundances of key smoke-derived phenolic com-pounds — including guaiacol, phenol, o-cresol (2-methylphenol), and 2-methoxy-5-methylphenol — and sulfur-containing compounds such as carbon disul-fide and hexathiane, which correlated with reduced off-flavor scores and significant improvements in smoke flavor and overall acceptability compared to the control and apple-smoked groups (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that smoking goat meat with mesquite or oak wood chips is an effective processing strategy to mask the per-ception of species-specific off-flavor and enhance overall sensory acceptability.