Unlocking the Flavor of Glutinous Rice Chicken with GC-MS

A joint study between Yanbian University (Yanji, China) and Zhengzhou University (Zhengzhou, China) studied the effects of cooking conditions on loss, texture, and sensory attributes of glutinous rice chicken (GRC), a popular Chinese poultry dish. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and E-nose analyses were conducted on GRC prepared under optimal conditions and a commercially produced alternative. A paper based on this research was published in Food Chemistry: X (1).

According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2), chicken is a nutrient-dense, lean protein food that can be included in a healthy eating pattern for people of all ages (2). Due to the lower cholesterol and saturated fatty acid compared to red meat (3,4), a more affordable price point, high nutritional value, and favorable sensory characteristics (5,6), poultry has attracted considerable attention from consumers.

GRC is a traditional meat product of the Yanbian Korean nationality known for its palatable taste and distinctive qualities (1). The dish is made by steaming and cooking rural free-range chicken and glutinous rice and then adding ingredients such as ginseng, red dates, and wolfberries (1). The quality of the cooked meat, and especially its flavor, is greatly affected by factors such as temperature and heating time (7). However, most GRC products are produced through a traditional process lacking in processing technology standardization, often resulting in uneven quality of the final product with a high degree of yield instability, which leads, in turn, to substantial amounts of waste in the production process (1).

Inspired by the fact that there have been few previous studies focused on the optimization of preparation technology and quality of GRC, the traditional technology was used by the researchers along with a pressure cooker. The cooking time, temperature, and pressure were controlled during the preparation process, and a single-factor test was performed to investigate the influence of these conditions on the physicochemical properties and sensory evaluation of the dish. Orthogonal testing (a statistical method designed to help testers examine multiple variables, their interactions, and their possible combinations, all while minimizing the number of test cases [8]) was also carried out to obtain the optimal conditions (1).

The research showed that GRC prepared under optimal conditions (GRC-OP) had a similar volatile profile to that of a commercially produced counterpart (GC); however, there were higher levels of specific compounds, such as heptanal, 2-heptenal, octanal, hexanol, octanol, and 1-nonen-4-ol. GRC-OP also exhibited superior umami, salty, and rich tastes, as well as higher amino acid content, particularly the functional amino acids (FAAs) in general, and glutamic (GLU) and aspartic (ASP) acids especially. The authors of the study state that these findings provide important data for the optimization of the quality and nutritional value of GRC in the meat industry (1).

Glutinous rice chicken. © KiaYong- stock.adobe.com

References

1. Zhang, C.; Wang, J.; Ma, Z.; Zhao, C.; Piao, C.; Cui, M.; Li, H.; Li, T.; Mu, B.; Li, G. Comprehensive Analysis of the Effects of Cooking Conditions on the Quality, Sensory Characteristics, and Flavor Profile of Glutinous Rice Chicken, a Chinese Traditional Poultry Meat Product. Food Chem. X 2024, 24,101868. DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101868

2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. Dietary Guidelines website.https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf (accessed 2025-02-20)

3. Przybylski, W.; Jaworska, D.; Kajak-Siemaszko, K.; Sałek, P.; Pakuła, K. Effect of Heat Treatment by the Sous-Vide Method on the Quality of Poultry Meat. Foods 2021, 10 (7), 1610. DOI: 10.3390/foods10071610

4. Xu, N.; Zeng, X.; Li, L.; Zhang, X.; Wang, P.; Han, M.; Xu, X. Effects of Post-Mortem Aging Process on Characteristic Water-Soluble Taste-Active Precursors in Yellow-Feathered Broilers. Food Science and Human Wellness 2023, 12 (1), 242-253. DOI: 10.1016/j.fshw.2022.07.004

5. Biswas, S.; Banerjee, R.; Bhattacharyya, D.; Patra, G.; Das, A. K.; Das, S. K. Technological Investigation into Duck Meat and its Products-A Potential Alternative to Chicken. World's Poultry Science Journal 2019, 75 (4), 609-620. DOI: 10.1017/S004393391900062X

6. Goethals, S.; Vossen, E.; Michiels, J.; Vanhaecke, L.; Van Camp, J.; Van Hecke, T.; De Smet, S. Impact of Red Versus White Meat Consumption in a Prudent or Western Dietary Pattern on the Oxidative Status in a Pig Model. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2019, 67 (19), 5661-5671. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b00559

7. Yao, G.; Zhou, Y.; Li, Z.; Ma, Q. Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines in Roasted Chicken: Formation and Prediction Based on Heating Temperature and Time. Food Chem. 2023, 405, 134822. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.134822

8. Orthogonal array testing.Testsigma website. https://testsigma.com/blog/orthogonal-array-testing/ (accessed 2025-02-20)