Enhancement of saltiness perception by odorants selected from Chinese soy sauce: A gas chromatography/olfactometry-associated taste study

•Thirty taste-associated odorants were identified from soy sauce by GC/O-AT.•Four saltiness-enhancing and six umami-enhancing odorants were detected.•3-(Methylthio)propanal was the most effective odorant in enhancing salty and umami.•The umami-associated odorant 1-octen-3-ol could enhance saltiness significantly. Odor-taste interaction has become a popular salt reduction method. In this study, the odorants associated with saltiness in soy sauce were selected by gas chromatography/olfactometry-associated taste (GC/O-AT), and their ability to induce saltiness/umami enhancement was verified by sensory evaluation. A total of 30 taste-associated odorants were perceived, including 5 saltiness-associated and 2 umami-associated odorants. Among them, 3-(methylthio)propanal, 1-octen-3-ol, 3-(methylthio)-1-propanol, and 2,5-dimethylpyrazine could significantly enhance saltiness of 0.3% NaCl solution (p