Flavor characteristics of Shitou goose meat cooked using different methods based on sensory analysis and GC-IMS technology.

The Shitou goose is one of the world's largest economic goose breeds, yet research on its derived meat products remains relatively scarce. To facilitate the development of Shitou goose meat products, this study optimized the relevant processing parameters for Shitou goose meat prepared via different cooking methods and identified the characteristic profiles of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in goose meat prepared by three methods (conventional boiling, plain boiling, and sauce stewing) using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS). Sensory evaluation was conducted by 10 professionally trained panelists, and the data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Duncan's multiple range test. Results showed that plain-boiled and sauce-stewed Shitou goose meat exhibited optimal sensory texture after a cooking time of 30 min. The highest sensory score for plain-boiled goose meat was obtained with the optimized dipping sauce formula (per 100 g of goose meat: 10 g of light soy sauce, 0.75 g of Kaempferia galanga, 0.2 g of green onion powder, and 0.15 g of garlic powder). For the sauce-stewed goose meat, the maximum sensory score was obtained with the addition of 0.75 g of Chinese prickly ash powder, 0.2 g of chili powder, and 0.15 g of white sugar per 100 g of goose meat. A total of 76 VOCs were identified in all the Shitou goose meat samples, among which aldehydes, accounting for 42% of the total identified compounds by quantity, were the predominant volatile flavor compounds. Alcohols and terpenes were the characteristic flavor compounds of the plain-boiled and sauce-stewed goose products, respectively. The conventionally boiled goose sample showed a flavor profile highly similar to that of the plain-boiled goose meat, while a significant difference in flavor was observed between these two samples and the sauce-stewed goose meat. This study provides basic data for the processing and development of Shitou goose meat products.