Impact of ultrasound-assisted braising on Xinjiang-style jar stewed mutton flavor compounds

This study aimed to investigate the effects of ultrasonic parameters (time, temperature, power) on the quality of Xinjiang-style stewed mutton (XJSM). Both low-temperature long-time low-power (LLP) and high-temperature short-time high-power (HHP) ultrasound treatments effectively loosened mutton structure and improved broth stability. The purine content was significantly lower in LLP-ultrasonically treated mutton (655.64 mg/kg) and HHP broth (196.97 mg/kg) ( P  < 0.05). We identified 72 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS). In addition, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) detected 64 VOCs in the mutton and 65 VOCs in the broth. Among these, alcohols and aldehydes were identified as key contributors to the flavor profile. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) effectively distinguished samples prepared under different ultrasound conditions. Moreover, variable importance in projection (VIP) analysis demonstrated that hexanal, 1-octen-3-ol, nonanal, and decanal were characteristic volatile organic compounds in both mutton and broth.