Enzymatically prepared aromatic oils commonly have high purity and aroma quality. However, amino acid type and content vary greatly according to the type of oil, which impacts overall aroma and quality. In this study, the effects of lysine (Lys), arginine (Arg), proline (Pro), and glutamic (Glu) acid on physicochemical indices, nutrients, hazardous substances, fatty acid composition, and flavor during fragrant rapeseed oil (FRO) enzymatic preparation were investigated using the Maillard reaction (MR). In the lysine-treated group, the unsaturated fatty acids (93.16 %), α-tocopherol (183.06 mg/kg), γ-tocopherol (404.37 mg/kg), and δ-tocopherol (12.69 mg/kg) contents were the highest, whereas the acid value (1.27 mg/g) and moisture (0.10 %) and benzo[a]pyrene (1.45 μg/kg) contents were the lowest. Sensory evaluation showed that lysine effectively enhanced FRO flavor by enhancing the nutty/toasted flavor (4.80 scores). Principle component analysis (PCA) showed that the nutty/toasted flavor correlated mainly with 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethyl-pyrazine, 2-methyl-pyrazine, and trimethylpyrazine, nutty/toasted flavor strength increased with pyrazine content, which were the highest in the lysine group (24.02 μg/g). This study provides a guide for FRO preparation by adding external MR prerequisites.
Keywords: Amino acids; Fragrant rapeseed oil; Maillard reaction; Pyrazines.
© 2024 The Author(s).