As one of the main processing by-products of livestock and poultry meat, the liver is rich in vitamins, minerals, unsaturated fatty acids and proteins, but the strong odor is a widespread problem for livers from different species, which is a key factor restricting the eating quality, processing quality and consumer acceptance of liver products. At present, traditional food processing methods such as marination, pickling, and baking are the main methods for removing the odor of liver products. Despite being effective, these methods have some disadvantages, such as changes in the flavor of raw materials, the formation of harmful factors, restrictions on the form of ingredients, and excessive oxidation of free radicals, limiting the applicability of raw materials. New deodorization techniques, including biological fermentation, ultrafiltration, rinsing, encapsulation and ozone treatment, have been tested on liver products, but the underlying mechanisms remain not clear. This article analyzes and discusses the current utilization status of livestock and poultry livers, the distribution and formation of major odorants in livestock and poultry livers, and the current development status, advantages and disadvantages, and application mechanism of deodorization techniques, in order to provide a theoretical reference for reconstructing and improving the flavor of liver-based food products and promoting the deep processing and value-added utilization of meat processing by-products.

To deepen the understanding in the effect of potassium lactate on the sensory quality and safety of Rugao ham, sensory attributes, physicochemical parameters, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN), microorganism community and biogenic amines of Rugao ham manufactured with different potassium lactate levels (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%) were investigated; the relationship between microbial community and the formation of TVBN and biogenic amines was further evaluated. With the increase of potassium lactate from 0% to 2%, the increased sensory scores and the decreased total aerobic bacterial count and TVBN were observed; the abundance of Staphylococcus increased, while the content of Halomonas decreased. LDA effect size (LEfSe) and correlations analysis showed that Staphylococcus equorum and Lactobacillus fermentum could be the key species to improve sensory scores and decrease biogenic amines and TVBN. Metabolic pathway analysis further showed that amino acids metabolism and nitrogen metabolism were mainly involved in decreasing TVBN and biogenic amines in the treatment of 2% potassium lactate.