Sensory and neural responses to flavor compound 3-Methylbutanal in dry fermented sausages: Enhancing perceived overall aroma.

This study investigated the impact of 3-methylbutanal (0, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 μg/kg) on aroma and neural responses in fermented sausages. Among 33 volatiles identified, 3-methylbutanal exhibited the highest odor activity value of 868, indicating its dominant contribution. Sensory analysis showed that samples with 180 μg/kg received the highest ratings for savory (7.0), caramelized (7.1), and nutty (4.4) notes, whereas the 300 μg/kg group showed the lowest overall aroma intensity. EEG analysis indicated global power and α-band activity peaked at 180 μg/kg, increasing by 65.8 % and 73.2 % over baseline, then declined at higher doses. Time-resolved topographies showed odor decoding began at 100 ms and peaked at 500 ms. Source localization identified increased activity in dorsolateral, orbitofrontal, and ventromedial prefrontal cortices at 180 μg/kg. These results demonstrate that moderate levels of 3-methylbutanal enhance aroma perception and evoke heightened neural activity in brain regions associated with olfactory processing and emotion.