Effects of heating conditions on fatty acids and volatile compounds in foot muscle of abalone Haliotis discus hannai Ino

Abalone Haliotis discus hannai Ino is a popular delicacy consumed as a luxury food owing to its unique flavor and texture. In this study, we investigated the effects of heating conditions on the fatty acids and volatile compounds in its foot muscle based on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME)–GC–MS. The contents of fatty acids significantly decreased after heating at 80 °C for 2 h. In total, 52 volatile compounds, including aldehydes, aromatic compounds, alkanes, alcohols, ketones, and furans, were detected in the heated samples. Principal component analysis revealed an interaction between heating temperature and time. Heating at 80 °C for 0.5–2 h generated higher contents of volatile compounds. In particular, the contents of hexanal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal, and undecanal mainly derived from autoxidation of fatty acids during heating increased at least fourfold.