Effect of microwave-assisted drying on the quality of abalone muscle cured with Agaricus bisporus extract

In order to explore the effect of microwave-assisted drying on the quality of abalone muscle, the effect of microwave treatment on the physicochemical properties and volatile flavor of abalone muscle marinated by 30% NaCl and 5% Agaricus bisporus extract solution during the drying process were studied. The physicochemical properties including browning intensity, fluorescence intensity, sugar reduction, amino acid composition, and glycoproteins were determined. The result shows that the fluorescence and browning intensity values of abalone muscle gradually increased with increasing drying time irrespective of undergoing microwave treatment (MT) and without it (WMT), and reached the maximum at 105 dafter being dried. The sugar content reduction in the WMT abalone muscle decreased from 7.24 mg/g to 5.58 mg/g after drying for 120 d, while that in the MT sample increased from 7.24 to 14.05 mg/g. The total amino acid content in the WMT and MT abalone muscle increased from 39.69 g/100 g to 44.06 and 41.54 g/100 g, respectively. The formed macromolecular compounds and glycoproteins were observed in the electrophoretic profile of abalone muscle after drying for 30 d. Compared to the WMT abalone muscle, not only did the wave number of amide A band in the FT-IR spectra of MT abalone muscle decrease more significantly, but also the absorption peak intensities of amide I and II bands were stronger. Irrespective of MT or WMT, the sensor response values of W2W (aromatic components, organic sulphides) and W2S (aldehydes, alcohols and ketones) in the electronic noses of abalone muscles dried for 90 d were higher than those of the untreated samples. Based on the results determined by gas chromatography mass spectrometry, it was found that the content of nonanal and 1-octen-3-ol in abalone muscle decreased significantly after being dried for 90 d, while the content of linalool increased significantly. At the same drying time, the linalool content in the MT abalone muscle was higher than that of WMT abalone muscle. The results of this study suggested that microwave treatment can promote the Maillard reaction of abalone muscle during the drying process, thereby generating a good volatile odor. This result can provide a theoretical reference for improving the preparation process of dried abalone using microwave assistance.