Effects of different thermal processing methods on the flavor and precursor substances of the longissimus dorsi muscle in the “Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire” ternary hybrid pigs

This study investigated the effects of boiling, frying, and roasting on flavor compounds and their precursors in the longissimus dorsi muscle of “Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire” pigs. HS-SPME-GC–MS, electronic nose analysis, and multivariate statistical methods (PCA, PLS-DA, and PLS-R) were used to characterize changes in free fatty acids (FFAs), free amino acids (FAAs), reducing sugars, and volatile compounds. Frying resulted in the highest total volatile content, whereas roasting was characterized by higher levels of several Maillard-derived compounds, including phenylacetaldehyde and pyrazines. Boiling showed relatively higher levels of oxidation-derived alcohols such as 1-octen-3-ol. Correlation analysis and PLS-R further revealed significant associations between specific precursor substances and key odor-active volatiles. These results provide deeper insight into the biochemical basis of processing-dependent flavor formation in ternary hybrid pork and may support the optimization of thermal processing for improved flavor quality.