Study on the contribution of free amino acid composition to the Chinese mitten crab taste by sensory evaluation and the electronic tongue

The detection of free amino acids, calculation of TAV and sensory evaluation of taste type and intensity of nine higher content amino acids were analyzed in this paper. The results showed that the amino acids Arg, Ala, Gly, Met, Glu, Pro, His and Val which TAV were more than 1 may contribute to the crab taste. Among them, Arg and Pro present sweetness in low concentration and bitterness in high concentration. Ala and His had wide endurable range of concentration, but Glu and Pro had less endurable range of concentration. Simulated amino solutions of the removal and addition experiment were detected by the electronic tongue, and the results showed that Ala, Gly and Met were more important for the taste of crab meat.