The Basis of Quality in Muscle Foods RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FLAVOR OF MEAT

ABSTRACT Techniques involved in the study of volatile flavor compounds of cooked meat, including isolation of the volatile flavor compounds, fractionation of the isolated volatiles by gas chromatography and identification of the pure gas chromatographic fractions by infrared and mass spectrometry are reviewed. The volatile compounds identified to date, as components of cooked meat, such as boiled beef and roast beef, are reported. The importance of heterocyclic compounds containing oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur in the ring and pyrazine compounds to the flavor of meat are discussed with their possible mechanisms of formation. The possible use of high pressure liquid chromatography for the fractionation of the less volatile flavor compounds in cooked meat and the many difficulties of this technique are reviewed. The deterioration of flavor during storage and processing as caused by the qualitative and quantitative changes of flavor compounds are discussed with detailed information on the change of flavor compounds during the retorting of beef stew.