Abstract
The unique aroma of yeast proteins (YPs) influences consumer acceptance. Temperature and water content could affect the aroma characteristics of proteins. Herein, the aroma release patterns in YPs were explored via sensory evaluation, electronic nose, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sensory evaluation results showed that after heating, the aroma intensity of YPs initially dropped and then increased. When the water addition ratio (YPs-water) was increased from 1 to 5, the aroma intensity of plastic-like attributes decreased, whereas the remaining aroma attributes exhibited enhanced. Electronic nose analysis results were consistent with those of the sensory evaluation. Ten volatile compounds were detected in YPs. In the water-YPs model, the concentrations of only three volatile compounds decreased with increasing temperature, while the concentrations of the remaining 22 volatile compounds increased. The results elucidated the effects of temperature and water content on the aroma changes in YPs, which could provide the reference for YPs applications in different foods.