Abstract:[Objective] This study aims to explore the quality and umami changes of Ruditapes philippinarum during cooking. [Method] The cooking loss rate, texture, amino acid nitrogen, free amino acids, flavor nucleotides, glycogen, and sensory quality of Ruditapes philippinarum were measured after cooking (at 85, 90, 95, and 100 ℃ for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 min). [Result] At the same cooking temperature, the cooking loss rate and hardness of Ruditapes philippinarum increased with the increase in cooking time. At the cooking temperatures of 90 and 95 ℃, the mass fractions of amino acid nitrogen in Ruditapes philippinarum generally presented a decreasing trend as the cooking time increased within 1 to 5 min. At the same cooking temperature, the mass fractions of umami amino acids in Ruditapes philippinarum generally showed a decreasing trend as the cooking time increased within 1 to 4 min. When the cooking time was the same, the mass fractions of umami amino acids and the equivalent umami concentration (EUC) in Ruditapes philippinarum generally exhibited a decreasing trend with the rise in cooking temperature. When cooked for 2 min, the glycogen was fully degraded, leading to a relatively high mass fraction of succinic acid and a good umami presentation. The total sensory evaluation score of Ruditapes philippinarum reached its highest, and the umami score was comparatively high after cooking at 90 ℃ for 2 min. [Conclusion] Based on results of taste and quality, it was determined that the best umami of Ruditapes philippinarum was achieved when cooked at 90 ℃ for 2 min. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the processing quality and umami retention in freshly cooked Ruditapes philippinarum.
