Comparative Analysis of Sauced Beef Based on Electronic Nose, GC-IMS, and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation

Sauced beef is a traditional Chinese meat product, yet the volatile and sensory signatures of potential aroma-active compounds remain insufficiently characterized. Five commercial sauced beef products (B1–B5) were analyzed by electronic nose (E-nose), gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), chemometrics, and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE). Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) identified by GC-IMS were screened by principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). An FCE model based on texture profile analysis (TPA) was established, with color, taste, flavor, texture, and acceptability as sensory evaluation indicators. E-nose responses indicated that sulfur-containing compounds, aromatic components, alkanes, and alcohols contributed strongly to overall aroma. GC-IMS tentatively identified 73 VOCs, with ketones, alcohols, and aldehydes as the dominant classes. Dual screening (variable importance in projection (VIP) > 1 and odor activity value (OAV) ≥ 1) identified 14 potential aroma-active compounds. Nine compounds were common to all five products, and five were detected in only a subset of products. Under equal weighting, the fuzzy evaluation ranked overall quality as B2 > B4 > B3 = B5 > B1. Pearson correlation revealed that sensory attributes, especially taste and flavor, were positively correlated with 3-(Methylsulfanyl)propanal and (Z)-2-pentenal, while negatively correlated with (R/S)-linalool, 2-Butanone-3-hydroxy, and alpha-Pinene. These integrated approaches revealed differences among the five commercial products investigated, identified potential aroma-active compounds, and support product-specific characteristics and quality assessment of sauced beef products.