Previous studies indicate that fat can be perceived by humans through olfaction, but whether such ability is still valid in meat matrix and what volatiles facilitates fat odor still remain unclear. The aims of this study were (a) to investigate olfactory fat discrimination of meat and (b) to reveal the relationship between volatile composition and olfactory discrimination ability of meat differing in fat content. Olfactory triangle tests and ranking tests were performed (n=43 participants in duplicate) to determine odor discrimination between samples (raw and grilled meat differing in three fat levels) and ranking capability based on perceived fat content. HS-SPME-GC-MS analysis was performed to profile the volatile odor composition of the headspace of all meats. PLSR and PLS-DA were performed among sensory and chemical data to explore the relationship between fat odor perception and volatile compounds. The results showed that most beef and pork meats differing in fat content can be discriminated through olfaction. Only raw beef with the lowest fat content, and grilled beef and pork with the highest fat content were correctly ranked for their fat content based on smell, suggesting that odor differences between meat samples were not always perceived as differences in fat content. The result of volatile compound composition profiling revealed octane, 2-octene, and acetic acid were related to odor discriminability between grilled beef samples. We conclude that differences in fat content in beef and pork can be distinguished through olfaction, but such odor differences are not always perceived as differences in fat content. Different volatile compositions contribute to olfactory discrimination of meat differing in fat content.

This study was supported by the Chinese Scholarship Council (201906350090) awarded to SM and the Aspasia grant of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO; 015.013.052) awarded to SB.