Exploration of Key Flavor Compounds in Five Grilled Salmonid Species by Integrating Volatile Profiling and Sensory Evaluation

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Salmonid species are globally popular and widely consumed in Japan, especially when grilled. Understanding their flavor characteristics from sensory and compositional perspectives is essential to improve the quality of processed salmonid products. However, scientific knowledge in this area remains limited. This study aimed to explore compounds contributing delicious flavor of grilled salmon by performing correlation analysis between sensory evaluation and volatile profiles of five grilled salmonid species. <b>Methods</b>: To characterize each sample, sensory evaluation using paired comparisons and comprehensive analysis of volatile compounds by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were conducted. To select compounds strongly associated with the "delicious flavor of grilled salmon", orthogonal partial least squares regression (OPLSR) and gas chromatography/olfactometry (GC/O) were performed. A subset of the selected candidate compounds was quantified, and additive tests on the samples were carried out based on their concentrations. <b>Results</b>: Sensory evaluation revealed clear differences in flavor profiles among the five salmonid species. A total of 344 peaks were detected in all samples, and principal component analysis (PCA) of these data showed grouping trends consistent with those obtained from sensory evaluation. OPLSR using sensory and volatile data as variables, and GC/O analysis identified 23 compounds, including trimethylamine, dimethyl sulfide, and 1-heptanol, as candidates contributing to the characteristic flavor of grilled salmonid species. Sensory evaluation of samples supplemented with a subset of these candidates showed that, particularly at the higher addition level, aroma and flavor tended to approach those of the highly preferred samples. <b>Conclusions</b>: These findings suggest that some of the selected candidate compounds contribute to the formation of delicious flavor of grilled salmon and may be useful for flavor design and quality improvement of processed products made from salmonid species.