Effect of sous vide cooking on physicochemical characteristics and volatile flavor of scallop adductor muscles.

This study investigated the effects of sous vide (SV) cooking at different temperatures (50, 60, and 70 °C) and for a time duration of 10, 30, 60, 120, and 240 min on the quality of scallop adductor muscles (SAM). Results indicated that the color discoloration and texture deterioration of SAM with increasing cooking temperature and time compared to fresh samples. SV process destabilized the protein conformation, which transformed α-helix, β-turns to β-sheet and random coil, decreased intrinsic fluorescence and total sulfhydryl content, and increased particle size. SV caused muscle fibers to contract and extrude internal water, leading to the oxidative damage and aggregation of myofibrillar protein (MFP). 120 min was the critical duration to differentiate between raw and SV cooked scallops. The later cooking period (120-240 min) generated new VOCs compared to the fresh sample, effectively mitigating the fishy odor of scallops while imparting diverse fruity and meaty odors. And more fruity, floral, and roasted aroma were imparted to the SAM by SV cooking. Correlation analysis showed that the flavor and the oxidative denaturation of MFP in SAM were related and interactive under SV cooking. Overall, the protein denaturation under SV-60 °C-120 min was moderate, ensuring better scallop quality. SH content decreased by 45.7 % (vs. fresh, p < 0.05) with 63.8 % α-helix retained (p < 0.05), avoiding excessive aggregation and optimizing flavor metrics. Therefore, more VOCs were produced, which effectively reduced the fishy odor of scallops while imparting different fruit and meat flavors.