The taste characteristics and metabolite variations of two Pacific abalone strains with different glycogen contents

The flavor of shellfish has become one of the key selection goals in aquatic breeding since it influences consumer preferences. Glycogen has been proven to be a primary taste-enhancing component in most shellfish. But fewer studies were reported on Pacific abalone, and the contribution of glycogen to taste is unclear. In this study, the human sensory test, electronic tongue, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), and multivariate statistical methods were used to investigate differences in flavor between two groups (high and low groups, respectively) of Pacific abalone with different glycogen contents. The results of the two flavor evaluations consistently showed that the scores of umami and sweetness were significantly higher in the high glycogen content group. Pacific abalone with a higher glycogen content has a better flavor. A total of 295 substantially differential metabolites were identified between the two groups. Lysine, glutamic acid, glycine, serine, threonine, nucleotides, phosphatidylcholine (PC), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) were considered to be the main taste-enhancing components in the high group. This study proves the significance of glycogen content in Pacific abalone on flavor characteristics and provides new insights into the underlying metabolic causes of flavor differences. Additionally, the findings also provide guidance for selection breeding of quality-related traits in Pacific abalone.