Free fatty acids responsible for characteristic aroma in various sauced-ducks.

To investigate the effects of various duck sources on the lipid oxidation and aroma flavor of sauced-ducks, Mallard (ML), Sheldrake (SD), Muscovy (MC), and Cherry-Valley (CV) ducks were used in sauced-duck processing. The results showed significantly different thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values of the four samples (SD > CV > ML > MC, p < 0.05), while the contents of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) were ML > SD/CV > MC (p < 0.05). Altogether, 105 volatile flavor compounds were detected in sauced-ducks, including acids, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, hydrocarbons, furans, nitrogen compounds, and others. The volatile compounds were observed differentially composed in the four products, and nineteen potential characteristic biomarkers were explored. The correlation analysis indicated that the characteristic aroma flavor of sauced-ducks were significantly associated with specific free fatty acids. These information are useful for learning aroma formation and meat selection and identification in duck products.