Effect of natural spices on precursor substances and volatile flavor compounds of boiled Wuding chicken during processing

Boiled chicken with spices is a traditional and characteristic meat product in China. The aims of this work were to investigate the influences of natural spices on precursor substances, and the volatile flavor compounds of boiled Wuding chicken were studied. Whole, boiled Wuding chicken was processed by washing the chickens, boiling them for 1 hour with natural spices, then deep‐frying for 1 minute, and boiling them for 2 hours with natural spices. The water‐soluble low molecular weight (WLOM) compounds in the Wuding chicken were identified using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR) spectroscopy; the fatty acid composition of the boiled Wuding chicken was analyzed using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS); and the volatile flavor compounds of boiled Wuding chicken were determined qualitatively and quantitatively using gas‐phase ion mobility spectrometry (GC‐IMS). The results showed that the content of total fatty acids, free amino acids, WLOM compounds, and volatile flavor substances at each processing point in the treatment group was significantly higher than those in the control group (P