Interspecific differences in key quality attributes and potential factors associated with fried flavor formation in wild Termitomyces albuminosus

Five wild Termitomyces species showed distinct flavor precursor profiles. • C8 alcohols dominated fresh Termitomyces mushrooms and shaped typical mushroom notes. • TH exhibited high amino acids and the strongest umami potential. • Free amino acids and sugars were linked to frying-derived aldehydes and heterocycles. Termitomyces albuminosus are important wild edible fungi. In this study, five representative wild Termitomyces species were investigated to characterize interspecific differences in proximate composition and flavor attributes and to examine differences in frying flavor quality and potential associations between precursor composition and frying-induced volatile profiles. The results showed that all species had high moisture and low fat content. TH contained the highest level of total free amino acids and exhibited an EUC value of 120.76 g MSG equivalents/100 g. Soluble sugar content ranged from 153.28 to 303.77 mg/g. Glucose levels were relatively high in TB and TC, whereas sucrose dominated in TM. Reducing sugar content ranged from 2.94% to 23.27%, with the highest level in TB. TC showed the highest total nucleotide level (524.67 mg/100 g), while TB contained relatively high levels of IMP and AMP. The volatile profiles of the fresh samples were predominantly composed by C8 alcohols. Frying increased identified volatile compounds from 55 to 82 and markedly promoted the accumulation of aldehydes, ketones, and heterocyclic compounds. TH accumulated the highest level of aldehydes, whereas heterocyclic compounds were more abundant in TB. These variations were closely associated with free amino acids, sugars, and low-molecular-weight peptides. The observed fried-flavor patterns were consistent with the possible involvement of Maillard reactions, Strecker degradation, and lipid oxidation. These findings provided a theoretical basis for understanding interspecific differences among Termitomyces and guidance for the targeted development of Termitomyces -based flavor products. Download: Download high-res image (339KB) Download: Download full-size image