Chen Lei, Yang Tianyi, Liu Rui, Xu Qian, Ge Qingfeng, Wu Mangang, Yu Hai
College of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China.
College of Food Science and Engineering, Tarim University, Alar, 843300, China.
Food Chem X. 2025 Jul 10;29:102769. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2025.102769. eCollection 2025 Jul.
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.
本研究调查了3-甲基丁醛（0、60、120、180、240和300μg/kg）对发酵香肠香气和神经反应的影响。在鉴定出的33种挥发性物质中，3-甲基丁醛的气味活性值最高，为868，表明其起主要作用。感官分析表明，180μg/kg的样品在风味（7.0）、焦糖味（7.1）和坚果味（4.4）方面的评分最高，而300μg/kg组的总体香气强度最低。脑电图分析表明，整体功率和α波段活动在180μg/kg时达到峰值，比基线水平分别增加了65.8%和73.2%，然后在更高剂量下下降。时间分辨地形图显示，气味解码在100毫秒开始，在500毫秒达到峰值。源定位确定在180μg/kg时背外侧、眶额叶和腹内侧前额叶皮质的活动增加。这些结果表明，适量的3-甲基丁醛可增强香气感知，并在与嗅觉处理和情绪相关的脑区引发增强的神经活动。
