• Myofibrillar proteins (MPs) aggregates existed in smaller form after ultrasound (UT). • Changes in characteristics of MPs relied on UT treatment duration. • The ability of MPs to bind to spices flavors enhanced after UT treatment. • The UT demonstrated potential for producing flavors-rich meat products.

The key aroma compounds in the pre- and postrigor roasted mutton were studied in this study. The results showed that 33 and 30 odorants were detected in the pre- and postrigor roasted mutton, respectively. Eight aroma compounds, including 3-methylbutanal, pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal, 1-octen-3-ol, and 2-pentylfuran, were confirmed as key odorants by aroma recombination and omission experiments. The aroma profiles of pre- and postrigor roasted mutton both presented great fatty, roasty, meaty, grassy, and sweet odors. Particularly, the concentrations of hexanal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal, 1-octen-3-ol, and 2-pentylfuran in postrigor roasted mutton were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those in the prerigor roasted mutton. The postrigor back strap was more suitable for roasting than the prerigor back strap. The pre- and postrigor roasted mutton could be obviously discriminated based on the aroma compounds by orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Hexanal and 1-octen-3-ol might potential markers for the discrimination of the pre- and postrigor roasted mutton.