E-sensing coupled metabolomics unravels flavor-texture synergy in citric acid-thermally processed pink Auricularia cornea

An integrative approach combining e-sensing, metabolomics, and physicochemical profiling revealed the effects of citric acid and thermal processing on flavor-texture synergy in pink Auricularia cornea. Heating at 100 °C with 1.5 g/L citric acid for 8 min effectively stabilized color, with a 21.8 % reduction in ΔE*. Texture analysis revealed a biphasic recovery phenomenon: short-term heating (2 min) resulted in a softened texture with a 43 % reduction in hardness. Volatile compound profiling identified the 6-min processing interval as a critical window for optimizing ester synthesis (increased by 70 %) and aldehyde degradation (decreased by 60 %), processes driven by Maillard reactions and lipid oxidation. Targeted profiling of amino acid metabolites revealed a significant depletion of glutamate (74.6 %) under prolonged heating conditions, accompanied by a 12.7-fold accumulation of citrulline. KEGG pathway analysis highlighted heat stress-responsive modules, including ABC transporters, secondary metabolism pathways, and antioxidant defense mechanisms such as glutathione synthesis.