Cooked off-flavor components were identified, and their formation mechanisms were studied in heat-treated melon juices. When flavor dilution analysis methods and odor activity values were used to evaluate the cooked off-flavor in heat-treated melon juice, four volatile sulfide compounds (VSCs) were identified as contributors to the cooked off-flavor: dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), and 3-(methylthio)propanal (MTP). The cooked off-flavor intensities of heated juices from thick-skinned melons were stronger than those in juices from thin-skinned melons. We conducted a comparative analysis of VSCs before and after heat treatment by adding unlabeled and labeled S-methylmethionine (SMM) and/or methionine (Met) to the original melon juices. DMS and MTP were formed from SMM and Met through nucleophilic substitution and Strecker degradation, respectively. DMDS and DMTS were partly formed through the oxidative degradation of methanethiol produced from Met. Moreover, SMM could accelerate degradation of Met by increasing the amount of dicarbonyl compounds during heat treatment.
Keywords: formation mechanisms; heat treatment; melon; off-flavor; precursors.