Investigating the effects of thermal processing on bitter substances in atemoya (Annona cherimola × Annona squamosa) through sensory-guided separation

Erh-Kang Luo; Chun-Ting Lin; Chao-Kai Chang; Nai-Wen Tsao; Chih-Yao Hou; Sheng-Yang Wang; Min-Hung Chen; Sheng-Yen Tsai; Chang-Wei Hsieh

doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101817

Investigating the effects of thermal processing on bitter substances in atemoya (Annona cherimola × Annona squamosa) through sensory-guided separation

Food Chem X. 2024 Sep 11:24:101817. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101817. eCollection 2024 Dec 30.

Authors

Erh-Kang Luo¹, Chun-Ting Lin¹, Chao-Kai Chang¹, Nai-Wen Tsao², Chih-Yao Hou³, Sheng-Yang Wang^{2

4

5}, Min-Hung Chen⁶, Sheng-Yen Tsai¹, Chang-Wei Hsieh^{1

7

8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, South Dist., Taichung City 402, Taiwan.
² Program in Specialty Crops and Metabolomics, Academy of Circle Economy, National Chung Hsing University, Nantou city 540, Taiwan.
³ Department of Seafood Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Nanzi Dist., Kaohsiung City 81157, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Forestry, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung City 402202, Taiwan.
⁵ Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei City 115201, Taiwan.
⁶ Agriculture and Food Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, No.8 Guang-hwa Rd., Nantou county 540207, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Food Science, National Ilan University, Shennong Road, Yilan City 26047, Taiwan.
⁸ Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung City 404333, Taiwan.
⁹ Advanced Plant and Food Crop Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, South Dist., Taichung City 402, Taiwan.

Abstract

Atemoya (Annona cherimola × Annona squamosa) is a specialty crop in Taiwan. Thermal treatment induces bitterness, complicating seasonal production adjustments and surplus reduction. In this research, sensory-guided separation, metabolomics, and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) are used for identifying the bitterness in atemoya which originates from catechins, epicatechin trimers, and proanthocyanidins. Different thermal treatments (65 °C, 75 °C, and 85 °C) revealed that the glucose and fructose contents in atemoya significantly decreased, while total phenols, flavonoids, and tannins significantly increased. The concentration of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) increased from 23.16 ng/g in untreated samples to 400.71 ng/g (AP-65), 1208.59 ng/g (AP-75), and 2838.51 ng/g (AP-85). However, these levels are below the 5-HMF bitterness threshold of 3780 ng/g. Combining mass spectrometry analysis with sensory evaluation, OPLS-DA revealed that atemoya treated at 65 °C, 75 °C, and 85 °C exhibited significant bitterness, with the main bitter components being proanthocyanidin dimers and trimers.

Keywords: Atemoya; Bitterness; Liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS); Orthogonal partial least-squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA); Untargeted identification.