Comparison of taste components in cooked meats of small abalone fed different diets

Differences in taste preference and the levels of extractive components and glycogen were compared between cooked meats of small abalone Haliotis diversicolor fed either gracilar (G-small abalone) or an artificial diet (A-small abalone). Using sensory tests, taste preference of cooked meats was significantly higher for A-small abalone than for G-small abalone. Results of clustering analysis and principal component analysis of chemical data also revealed that the two cooked meats differed from each other in terms of their measured constituent compositions irrespective of sampling periods. Compared with G-small abalone, A-small abalone meats were lower in taurine and arginine, but higher in glycine (Gly), glutamic acid (Glu), alanine, serine, proline, adenosine monophosphate (AMP), and glycogen. It is concluded that the discrepancy in the levels of taste-active components of abalone, such as Gly, Glu, and AMP, is likely to be responsible for the differences in taste preference between G- and A-small abalone cooked meats.