Abstract:Odor-induced taste enhancement is considered to be an effective way to enhance the perception of saltiness in low-salt food system. In this study, the key aroma compounds in dry Agaricus bisporus were characterized by solvent-assisted flavor extraction, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, gas chromatography-olfactometry, aroma extract dilution analysis and odor activity value(OAV) calculation. The odorants associated with saltiness perception were selected using gas chromatography-olfactometry/associated taste (GC-O/AT), and their potential effects on perceived salty taste were verified by sensory analyses of 2-alternative forced-choice and odor-induced saltiness enhancement value. The results showed that a total of 47 aroma compounds were identified in the mushroom sample, 18 of which were characterized as key aroma compounds with OAV greater than 1. By GC-O/AT, 6 compounds related to saltiness perception were preliminarily screened from the key aroma-active compounds in dry Agaricus bisporus. Sensory experiments suggested that odorants including p-cresol, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one, 1-pentanol, and 1-octen-3-ol of certain concentrations could enhance the saltiness perception significantly. The research could provide a reference for increasing saltiness perception of low-salt foods by aroma-taste interaction.