Table 2 shows the effects of anthocyanin diet addition on total volatile organic compounds of meat from goat kids. A total of 53 volatile substances were isolated and identified using SPME/GC-MS. The obtained compounds were divided into ten families according to their chemical nature: 12 aldehydes, 11 alcohols, 11 ketones, 8 carboxylic acids, 5 hydrocarbons, 2 furans, 1 aromatic hydrocarbon, 1 lactone, 1 sulphur compound and 1 thiol. However, there are some chemical families, usually identified in beef and horse meat, that were not found in the present study, which could be due to the different types of cooking carried out on the samples [
23]. This is the case for esters [
28] and nitrogen compounds [
29]. Aldehydes were the main compounds identified, followed by ketones and alcohols. Aldehydes were also the main VOCs originated from cooked donkey, foal, lamb kids and pork meat [
14,
15,
16,
30,
31].
Dietary anthocyanin addition did not have a significant effect on alcohols, aldehydes, furans, lactones, sulphur compounds or ketones (
p > 0.05). Similar results were observed in the meat of lambs fed with olive cake and linseed [
30]. Regarding hydrocarbons and thiols, CON groups showed significantly (
p < 0.01) higher values than those observed in RLE samples (436.2 vs. 254.7 ng/g of meat and 160.1 vs. 102.6 ng/g of meat for hydrocarbons and thiols after 7 ageing days, respectively). The opposite behaviour was observed for carboxylic acids whose contents were higher in RLE (467.0 vs. 436.9 ng/g of meat for RLE and CON groups, respectively).
Except for sulphur compounds, VOCs were affected by ageing time. In this regard, the values increased with ageing time. This trend was also observed by other authors, who confirmed that refrigerated ageing for 7–30 days increased the flavour of beef [
32,
33]. Regarding aldehydes, aromatic hydrocarbons, carboxylic acids and lactones, this increase was only significant in the CON group (
p < 0.05), while in furans this effect was observed only in the RLE group (
p < 0.05).
3.1.1. Aldehydes
Aldehyde variations due to oral anthocyanin administration and ageing time are shown in
Table 3. This chemical family is one of the main ones identified in ruminant meat [
34]. The CON group showed an increasing trend for pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, nonanal, 2-nonenal, octanal, 2-octenal, 2,4-decadienal and 2,4-dodecadenial (
p < 0.05) contents. In contrast, no variations in these compounds were observed in the RLE group (
p > 0.05). Hexanal was the most abundant aldehyde of the two groups, similarly to what was reported for meat samples from lamb kids by other authors [
31], followed by nonanal, heptanal and octanal, although their contents were much lower. Hexanal, considered as the greatest indicator of lipid oxidation in meat [
35], increased throughout the ageing process. A similar behaviour was observed in other ageing studies carried out with beef and foal meat [
13,
33]. However, the changes observed during maturation were more significant than those found by other authors. These differences could be related to the fact that in most cases ageing is carried out under vacuum conditions [
23]. Therefore, the changes that occur under these conditions are usually minimal due to the slight lipid autoxidation.
Regarding the origin of this compound, hexanal derives from oleic, linoleic and arachidonic acids [
36]. Therefore, the feeding of the animals would influence its content. However, the higher values were obtained in the CON group, whose values increased significantly by 53% until the end of the process, while the RLE group increased by 29%, although no significant differences were observed between groups. This could be due to the protective effect that RLE exerts against lipid and protein oxidation [
3]. This is especially important at the sensory level, since this compound is usually associated with highly aromatic notes (freshly cut grass and green aromas at low levels, or unpleasant rancid aromas at high levels), even at low concentrations, due to its low odour detection threshold [
36]. Therefore, the RLE addition in the feeding of the animals would minimise the appearance of off-flavours, favouring the sensorial acceptability of the meat derived from these animals. Similar results were found by Maggiolino et al. [
8] when the Limousine steers’ diet was supplemented with
Pinus taeda hydrolysed lignin. Contrary to these results, Vasta et al. [
37] observed that the inclusion of
Rosmarinus officinalis or
Artemisia herba alba essential oils into the lambs’ diet did not have a significant effect on the volatile compounds profile. No effect was also found by Del Bianco et al. [
38] when tannin extracts obtained from mimosa (
Acacia mearnsii), chestnut (
Castanea sativa) or tara (
Caesalpinia spinosa) were added to the diets of Sarda × Comisana lambs.
The same behaviour was observed in other oxidation markers derived from the lipid oxidation of oleic acid, such as heptanal, octanal and nonanal [
39], which displayed significantly higher values (
p < 0.01) in CON meat. In the case of octanal, this effect was observed from the first day, while in the case of nonanal and heptanal we had to wait 3 and 7 days, respectively. Although the partial replacement of conventional lamb feedstuffs by olive cake and linseed did not significantly affect any of the compounds derived from lipid oxidation, higher contents were also obtained in conventional cereal-based concentrates [
30]. In the case of heptanal, the diets that contain stoned olive cake or with rolled linseed and stoned olive cake exceeded the contents obtained in the control diet (4.105 and 4.182 vs. 3.883 log
10 specific ion peak area units, respectively) [
30]. Regarding the aromatic notes associated with these compounds, they usually provide pleasant meaty notes to the product [
36]. Regarding minority aldehydes, propanal and benzaldehyde increased in both groups during ageing (
p < 0.01), although the first one showed higher values (
p < 0.01) in the CON group compared to the RLE group after 7 days of ageing (45.94 vs. 39.03 ng/g of meat, respectively). After 7 days, 2,4-dodecanal (
p < 0.01) also showed higher values in CON meat. Moreover, CON meat displayed higher values of 2-nonenal compared to RLE at 3 days (
p < 0.05) and 7 days (
p < 0.01) of ageing.
3.1.2. Ketones
The effects of anthocyanin diet addition and ageing on ketones of meat from goat kids are reported in
Table 4.
The main compound identified was 6,7-dodecanedione. Although they were much lower, the contents of 2,3-pentanedione and 1-octen-3-one also stood out. In fact, 1-octen-3-one is considered together with hexanal and octanal as one of the main compounds identified in ruminant meat [
37]. The total ketones increased with ageing, showing the highest values at 7 ageing days. For 2-hexanone, 2-heptanone, 3-hepten-2-one, 5-hepten-2-one,6-methyl, 3,5-octadien-2-one and the 6,7-dodecanedione, the ageing time resulted in significant increases in both CON (
p < 0.01) and RLE (
p < 0.05) groups. For 2,3-pentanedione, 2-heptanone,6-methyl-, 2-octanone and 3-nonanone, such increases were only significant (
p < 0.01) in the CON group. The same behaviour was observed for 1-octen-3-one (26.64, 34.21 and 58.50 ng/g of meat at 1, 3 and 7 days of ageing, respectively;
p < 0.05), which was only identified in the CON group. This tendency to increase during ageing was also found by Insausti et al. [
40], who observed higher ketone contents during aging. However, this was only significant in two (2-heptanone and 3-octanone) of the four compounds identified. This effect could be due to the fact that the meat was aged under an oxygen-permeable film, which would favour the interactions between protein oxidation products and some amino acids. On the contrary, this behaviour was hardly observed in other species matured under vacuum conditions. In this regard, only 2,3-pentanedione was significantly modified during the ageing of donkey meat [
14], while 2-heptanone, 3-heptanone and 2-butanone increased (until day 6) in foal meat [
13,
15].
Regarding the feeding effect, 6,7-dodecanedione, 5-hepten-2-one,6-methyl-, 2-hexanone, 4-methyl-, 3-hepten-2-one, 2-octanone and 3-nonanone were affected by the inclusion of RLE in the diet. At the end of ageing, 2-octanone, 3-nonanone and 3,5-octadien-2-one showed higher values in CON samples compared to the RLE group (
p < 0.01). Moreover, the CON group showed significantly higher contents of 3-hepten-2-one and lower values of 2-hexanone (
p < 0.05). In addition, it is important to highlight the contents of 2-heptanone, which could be used as biomarkers of lipid degradation (linoleic acid (C18:2
n-6) oxidation). In fact, it is common to find this compound in ruminants fed with commercial concentrates [
41,
42]. In the present study, although no significant differences were found between groups, slightly higher contents were found in CON samples (26.68 vs. 22.18 ng/g of meat, respectively). Moreover, this compound is related to the flavour of lamb due to its low detection odour threshold and its peculiar aroma (butter and cheese notes, spicy) [
43,
44].
Despite the significant results mentioned above, hardly any significant interactions were detected between the main fixed factors (diet × ageing time), except for 3-hepten-2-one, 3,5-octadien-2-one and 3-nonanone.
3.1.3. Alcohols
Table 5 shows the effects of the inclusion of RLE in the diet and ageing time on alcohol contents of longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle. Alcohols production were affected by ageing, and an increasing trend was observed as the ageing process increased. The 1-pentanol, 1-hexanol,2-ethyl-, 1-heptanol and 1-octanol increased during ageing in both CON (
p < 0.01) and RLE meat (
p < 0.05) groups. The same behaviour was observed in 1-octen-3-ol (
p < 0.05), which is consistent with the results found by Insausti et al. [
40] in Navarra breed lamb meat aged for 4 days. On the other hand, 1-penten-3-ol, 2-pentene-1-ol and 1-hexanol increased only in the CON group (
p < 0.05). The same happened with 2-hexen-1-ol (
p < 0.01), which was identified only in the CON group. Conversely, 1-nonanol did not change during ageing. This alcohol and 2-penten-1-ol showed the lowest contents.
Taking into account the total contents, 1-octen-3-ol was the alcohol identified in the highest quantity, followed by 1-pentanol and 1-hexanol. These are considered products of lipid oxidation. For 1-octen-3-ol and 1-pentanol, the origin is the linoleic acid degradation, while 1-hexanol is a product of the oxidation of oleic acid [
35]. These compounds have also been identified as the most abundant in aged lamb, donkey and foal meats [
14,
15,
40]. However, the contents obtained in the present study were higher than those found in other aged meats, probably due to the different maturation method used.
These alcohols together with 1-heptanol and 1-octanol have an important role in the final flavour of the meat, although their contribution to volatile flavour is less than other volatiles due to their high odour threshold [
36]. Grassy and mushroom-like odours distinguish 1-octen-3-ol, while sweet or fruity distinguish 1-pentanol and herbal and fatty notes distinguish 1-hexanol [
45].
The volatile alcohol profile was not affected by anthocyanin supplementation. This outcome was also observed in the meat obtained from plant-fed lambs despite the antioxidant properties associated with these plants [
37]. 1-Nonanol was the only compound that was affected by the inclusion of RLE in the diet of the animals, showing higher values than in CON meat (2.94 vs. 10.73 ng/g of meat;
p < 0.01). In the same way, no significant interactions were observed between the main fixed factors (diet × ageing time).
3.1.4. Hydrocarbons and Carboxylic Acids
Table 6 shows the effects of ageing and RLE on hydrocarbons and carboxylic acid volatile compounds of meat from goat kids. Regarding hydrocarbons, only 6 compounds were detected in the meat of kid lambs. These compounds were grouped into 2 linear, 2 branched, 1 cyclic and 1 aromatic hydrocarbon. In terms of their contribution to the aroma of meat, these compounds can be divided into two groups: linear, branched and cyclic hydrocarbons, which hardly contribute to the flavour of the meat due to their high odour threshold; and aromatic hydrocarbons, which on the contrary provide important aromatic notes due to their low odour threshold [
45].
Aromatic hydrocarbons are less present in meat than linear hydrocarbons [
13]. Unlike other studies carried out with the same type of meat and under the same ageing conditions (over-wrapped with a commercial transparent film) [
40], only one aromatic hydrocarbon was found. Benzene 1,3-dimethyl was identified only in low concentrations in the CON group and increased after 7 ageing days (
p < 0.01). However, in most studies it was the main volatile compound identified [
15,
40,
42]. The fact that it has not been identified in the RLE group could be related to the protective effect that the inclusion of RLE in the diet of animals would have against lipid oxidation, preventing the generation of this oxidation product [
46].
Regarding carboxylic acids, their contribution to the total volatile compound profile was low, which is in agreement with previous studies conducted in lamb meat [
42,
47]. This scarce presence in muscle would be related to the fact that branched chain fatty acids tend to be deposited in adipose tissue [
48]. In the present study, hexanoic and heptanoic acids were the main carboxylic acids identified, although important contents were also observed for ethanoic acid and nonanoic acid. The contents of carboxylic acids increased with ageing, although only for pentanoic, hexanoic, octanoic and nonanoic acids were the results significant. In this regard, after 7 days there were increases in pentanoic acid (
p < 0.01) and heptanoic acid (
p < 0.05) in the CON group. For octanoic acid and nonanoic acid, significant differences (
p < 0.05) were observed in both groups. A similar trend was observed in aged horse meat, although in these cases less compounds were identified (butanoic acid, hexanoic acid, formic acid, octyl ester) [
13,
14].
Within this family of volatile compounds, it is important to highlight 4-methyloctanoic, 4-ethyloctanoic and 4-methylnonanoic acids, since they contribute to the characteristic mutton-like aroma [
49]. In the present work, these compounds were not identified. In contrast, nonanoic acids were detected, which are related to unfavourable odours, such as fatty and goaty odours [
50]. However, the inclusion of RLE in the diet decreased the contents of this compound (45.55 vs. 51.14 ng/g of meat for RLE and CON, respectively), avoiding possible rejection, since its presence in the meat could compromise the acceptability of the consumer. This effect was also observed in pentanoic acid (4.19 vs. 9.97 ng/g of meat for RLE and CON, respectively;
p < 0.01) and heptanoic acid (54.01 vs. 161.03 ng/g of meat for RLE and CON, respectively;
p < 0.05), which showed significantly lower values in the RLE group after 7 days of ageing. This acid release was also lower in steers and lambs whose diet was supplemented with hydrolysed lignin or tannins [
8,
38].
3.1.5. Other Compounds
Furans, lactones, sulphur compounds and thiols detected in meat from goat kids are shown in
Table 7. Regarding the furan family, only two compounds were identified, furan, 2-ethyl- and furan, 2-pentyl-. No significant effect of diet or ageing time was observed (
p > 0.05). However, slightly higher values were detected in the mentioned compounds as maturation progressed. Moreover, the samples from the RLE group presented higher values than those obtained from CON (16.20 vs. 15.22 ng/g of meat for furan, 2-ethyl-, and 20.28 vs. 14.44 ng/g of meat for furan, 2-pentyl-). In the same way, Vasta et al. [
37] did not find a significant effect on volatile compound profiles of Barbarine lambs when the diet of the animals was supplemented with essential oils of rosemary and artemisia. In this case, the contents of these volatile compounds were lower in treated samples. Therefore, in the present study, the inclusion of RLE did not have an antioxidant effect on the production of furan, 2-pentyl-, which was a result of the degradation of C18:2
n-6 [
35]. Regarding the aromatic notes provided by these volatiles (green bean and butter flavours) [
51,
52], it is to be expected that their contribution to the aroma of meat from goat kids will not be very prominent, since they represented a small percentage of the total volatile compound profile.
Similar contents were found for lactones, although only a single compound was identified. Butyrolactone was also detected in other studies conducted in lamb meat. However, in these studies this compound was included in the ketone family [
41]. This volatile compound, which has a low perception threshold, is associated with caramel and sweet odours [
52]. Regarding the origin of this compound, some authors affirm that it would be related to the oxidation of hydroxy-fatty-acids in the rumen [
47,
53]. In this regard, the feeding of the animals would influence the contents of this compound. However, in the present study and according to the results found by other authors [
41], the diet of the animals did not affect the contents of this lactone (12.03 vs. 10.59 ng/g of meat for CON and RLE, respectively). Contrary to these outcomes, some authors found higher values in lambs fed concentrate-based diets than those finished on pasture or grass [
54]. On the other hand, an increase in the contents was observed as the days of ageing increased, although it was only significant (
p < 0.01) in the CON group.
Regarding sulphur compounds, these compounds contribute to the general aroma of meat and can add undesirable flavours and odours [
55]. This is the case for dimethyl sulfone, identified in the present study, which is associated with sulphur and burnt odours [
52]. However, no significant differences were found in any of the evaluated factors. This volatile was also identified by other authors in lamb meat [
47].