Widely targeted metabolomics and GC-IMS reveal flavor and metabolite variations in Rex and Hyla rabbit meat under different cooking methods.

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of cooking methods (boiling, roasting, and frying) on the flavor of Chuanbai Rex and Hyla rabbit by employing gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) and widely targeted metabolomics analysis to compare the differences in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and metabolites. GC-IMS identified 45 VOCs, primarily aldehydes. Frying reduced the levels of aldehydes and esters, whereas roasting accentuated VOCs differences between the two breeds. Multivariate statistical analysis identified 14 key VOCs that distinguished the processed meat samples. Metabolomics identified 1118 metabolites, with amino acids and its derivatives (32.38 %), organic acids (12.08 %), fatty acyls (11.72 %), and glycerophospholipids (8.94 %) as the main components. Among them, 184 differential metabolites were mainly associated with amino acid and lipid metabolism. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the differential metabolites were mainly enriched in pathways such as ABC transporters and glycerophospholipid metabolism. These findings provide scientific insights for optimizing rabbit meat quality.