Unraveling the molecular basis of regional flavor diversity in Chinese dry-cured bacon through receptor interactions

Abstract The present study provides molecular-level insights into the formation of regional flavor in Chinese dry-cured bacons by analyzing key taste-active compounds, aroma-active compounds, and olfactory receptor interactions. The glutamic acid, alanine, valine, methionine, lysine, histidine, arginine, lactic acid, Na+, Cl−, and K+ were identified as key taste-active compounds, varying by region. A total of 71 volatile compounds were identified, with hexanal, heptanal, octanal, hexanoic acid, ethyl hexanoate, 1-hepten-3-one, 1-octen-3-one, 2-heptanone, 2-pentylfuran, and 2-butylfuran as key aroma-active compounds. Anhui bacon showed fatty and grassy notes, Guangdong bacon was dominated by fruity and sweet notes, and Jiangxi bacon exhibited mushroom and nutty characteristics. Molecular docking revealed that aldehydes interact with Asp175, Leu174, and His176 of olfactory receptor family 2 subfamily W member 1, whereas ketones, esters, and furans exhibited diverse binding patterns. These findings provide molecular-level insight into regional flavor formation in Chinese dry-cured bacon, contributing to quality improvement of traditional dry-cured meat products.