Abstract
Traditional northern Chinese pancake fermentation faces challenges such as inconsistency, prolonged processing duration, and safety hazards. A controlled co-fermentation system (YL-7) was applied to multigrain pancakes for the first time, comparing with unfermented (UNF) and naturally fermented (NF) samples using e-nose, e-tongue, GC-IMS, nutritional analysis, and sensory evaluation. The YL - 7 system notably elevated the content of the buttery aroma compound 3 - hydroxy - 2 - butanone and esters, diminished the levels of grassy aldehydes, and decreased the total quantity of free amino acids. The sensory scores for aroma, taste, and overall acceptability were the highest among the samples fermented by the YL - 7 system. Co - fermentation reduced the processing time, improved flavor complexity and nutrient utilization, and offered a scientific foundation for quality enhancement.