To
improve the sensory quality and promote the diversified
development
of duck meat, the identification and inhibition of key off-odorants
in duck broth were comparatively characterized by using the sensomics
approach and binary odor mixture analysis. Sensory evaluation results
showed that Litsea pungens Hemsl (LPH) could strongly
inhibit the duck broth off-odorants. Fifty-four aroma-active compounds
with flavor dilution factors ranging from 1 to 2048 were identified
in duck broth and duck broth stewed by LPH. Recombination and omission
tests confirmed that trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal, (E)-2-octenal, p-cresol,
1-octen-3-ol, and 4-methyloctanoic acid were the key off-odorants
in duck broth. Additionally, trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal (9.26 μg/L) and p-cresol
(718.91 μg/L) were identified as the key off-odorants in duck
meat for the first time. The results of binary odor mixture and off-odorants
inhibition curves demonstrated that linalool with the lowest theoretical
inhibitory concentration (109.65 μg/L) had the best aroma masking
ability among the five off-odorants, followed by geraniol (123.03
μg/L), (Z)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-ol (301.99
μg/L), (E)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal (2187.76
μg/L), and (Z)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal
(2691.53 μg/L). The spiking test verified that these compounds
with the lowest theoretical inhibitory concentrations effectively
inhibited the off-odorants of duck broth.