Recent Progress in Analytical Techniques for the Detection of Flavor Compounds in Dairy Products

Dairy flavor is a product of the synergistic interaction between microbial metabolism and processing techniques, with its unique sensory characteristics being critical determinants of product competitiveness and quality control. This review systematically summarizes the formation mechanism of dairy flavor and the principles and applications of major identification, screening, and quality evaluation technologies, with a focus on the advantages, limitations, and complementary relationships of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and intelligent sensory technologies. Based on a systematic comparison of existing techniques, a “technology characteristic-detection objective-application scenario” matching framework is proposed, aiming to shift the current research paradigm from reliance on “single-technology identification” toward an integrated approach based on “multi-technology fusion perception”. This shift provides a theoretical foundation and technical support for establishing a standardized and intelligent dairy flavor evaluation system. Future developments are expected to focus on the construction of multi-technology collaborative platforms, in-depth interpretation of complex data using artificial intelligence algorithms, and online quality control enabled by miniaturized devices.