Characterization of key aroma compounds in stewed mutton (goat meat) added with thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) based on the combination of instrumental analysis and sensory verification

Thyme ( Thymus vulgaris L. ) is widely used as a traditional spice in the cooking of goat meat (mutton) due to its distinctive flavor and the ability to weaken the “goaty flavor”. To investigate the aroma characteristics of stewed mutton with thyme (SMT), four SMT samples prepared using different cooking utensils were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry/olfactometry (GC–MS/O). Totally, 26 aroma-active compounds (AACs) were determined by GC–MS/O and further quantified. Among these, 20 AACs exhibited odor activity values (OAV) greater than 1. However, no significant differences existed among the four SMTs, which indicated that different utensils had little effect on the aroma profile of SMTs. Aroma recombination and omission experiments results showed that nonanal, ( E )-2-octenal, and ( E,E )-2,4-decadienal had the greatest contribution to the aroma profile of SMTs. These three compounds, together with dimethyl trisulfide, 3-methyl-butanal, octanal, ( E )-2-decenal, ( E )-2-nonenal, methanethiol, hexanal, ( E )-2-undecenal, and 1-octen-3-ol, were confirmed as the key aroma compounds in SMTs.