Lipidomics in chicken meat flavor chemistry: Current understanding, integrated omics approaches, and future perspectives

Chicken meat flavor is a significant factor in consumer preferences and purchasing behaviors, including taste, aroma, and texture, directly impacting perceived chicken meat quality. The formation of chicken meat flavor is predominantly regulated by various biochemical processes such as lipid oxidation, Maillard reaction, and thiamine degradation. The lipids significantly impact the flavor of chicken meat. Lipidomics enables the detailed study of lipids and their biological functions, and its recent advancement has shed light on the molecular mechanisms that contribute to chicken meat flavor and quality. Analytical techniques such as mass spectrometry (MS), ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), and integration of lipidomics with other omics techniques facilitate comprehensive examinations of lipid species, metabolites, and their interactions with other compounds. Hence, this review aims to encapsulate the current understanding of lipidomics in the context of chicken meat flavor chemistry, delineate its applications in evaluating chicken meat quality, and propose prospects for advancing lipidomics in the chicken meat industry.