Investigating sensory characteristics and volatile components in boiled scallop aroma using chemometric techniques

A three-level full-factorial design for pH (2, 6.7 and 11.4) and parts (S: mantle muscle, M: adductor muscle and W: mantle and adductor muscle) was applied to investigating the influence of these factors on generating the boiled scallop aroma. Quantitative descriptive analysis, using nine attributes, was used to describe the aroma property of boiled scallop. M and W samples, at pH 6.7, showed higher scores for the characteristics “boiled scallop”, “kamaboko (steamed surimi)” and “sweet”. “Sour” and “irritate” were characteristic of M and W samples at pH 2 and pH 11.4, respectively. Response surfaces clearly showed how pH and parts influenced the generation of each attribute. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models, calculated using influential GC–MS peaks, were highly predictable. Considering aroma properties of influential volatile components, selection by PLSR is easily interpretable in relation to each attribute.