Abstract:

The Maillard reaction products of glucose with the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine or cysteine
under the ripening conditions of Jinhun ham were analyzed by SPME-GC-MS. The results showed that 10 and 7 volatile
compounds contributing to the flavor of Jinhuan ham were formed from the Maillard reactions of methionine and cysteine,
respectively. The identified sulfur-containing compounds were produced mainly from methionine, demonstrating the
important contribution of volatile compounds generated from the Maillard reaction of sulfur-containing amino acids,
especially methionine, to the unique flavor of Jinhua ham.

Key words: Jinhua ham, sulfur-containing amino acids, Maillard reaction, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), volatile products, methionine