Meat Flavor Chemistry, Precursors of Beef Flavor

O. F. Batzer; A. T. Santoro; M. C. Tan; W. A. Landmann; B. S. Schweigert

doi:10.1021/jf60112a023

Flavor Chemistry, Constituents of Meat Flavor: Beef

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry ◽

10.1021/jf60107a017 ◽

1960 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 65-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 49

Author(s):

Irwin Hornstein ◽

P. F. Crowe ◽

W. L. Sulzbacher

Keyword(s):

Meat Flavor ◽

Flavor Chemistry

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361 Beef flavor chemistry and how it influences sensory perception

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skaa278.177 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽

pp. 97-97

Author(s):

Jerrad F Legako

Keyword(s):

Amino Acids ◽

Maillard Reaction ◽

Free Amino Acids ◽

Free Amino ◽

Consumer Satisfaction ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Eating Quality ◽

Quality Trait ◽

Beef Flavor ◽

Flavor Chemistry

Abstract Flavor can be simply defined as the combination of taste and aroma. Taste refers to the five basic receptors: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. Flavor is the perception of chemical compounds reacting with receptors in the oral and nasal cavities (aroma) in combination with taste. For beef, flavor is considered a primary eating quality trait. Flavor is developed during cooking through a combination of numerous chemical reactions, principally the Maillard reaction and oxidation of lipids. Any factor which mediates precursor compounds to these reactions may influence flavor chemistry and final perceived flavor. For the Maillard reaction, water-soluble compounds, such as free-amino acids and sugars, are essential and allow for the development of characteristic beef flavors. Likewise, oxidation of lipids, to a degree, provides beef -species-specific flavor. However, too much oxidation contributes to off-flavor. Both pre- and post-harvest factors may influence beef flavor precursor content and composition prior to cooking. Beef finishing diet is well understood to influence fatty acid composition. Meanwhile, carcass grade and muscle type each influence fatty acids. During post-mortem aging, free-amino acids and other metabolites accumulate in response to proteolysis. Recent work indicates that packaging type and retail environment also influence flavor precursor compounds. Finally, the aforementioned flavor pathways, lipid oxidation and the Maillard reaction, are initiated and accelerated during cooking. Therefore, degree-of-doneness and cookery type greatly influence beef flavor chemistry. These examples briefly depict how beef flavor chemistry may be influenced by common production factors, retail settings, and consumer preparation of beef. The resulting beef flavor dictates consumer liking of beef. Therefore, understanding beef flavor chemistry is integral to maintaining or increasing consumer satisfaction with beef.

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360 Awardee Talk: The evolution of meat flavor measurement and its importance to the livestock industry

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skaa278.180 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽

pp. 98-99

Author(s):

Chris R Kerth

Keyword(s):

Aroma Compounds ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Meat Tenderness ◽

Sensory Panel ◽

Livestock Industry ◽

Beef Flavor ◽

Cooking Process ◽

Meat Flavor ◽

Volatile Aroma ◽

Volatile Aroma Compounds

Abstract Meat flavor is part of the trilogy of traits that determine taste: tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. For meat, juiciness is influenced by the amount of intramuscular fat and moisture that is retained during the cooking process. Meat tenderness is primarily determined by the amount and type of connective tissue, degree of protein degradation, and muscle sarcomere length. Tenderness has been managed genetically in livestock, with significant strides being made to reduce the number of steaks rated tough. The last factor that influences consumers’ perception of meat taste is flavor and aroma. Compared to juiciness and tenderness, flavor is much more complex, as it is influenced by lipids and water-soluble compounds that serve as precursors to meat flavor. These precursors are then developed into flavor and aromas during the cooking process. Flavor is measured by consumers via sensing on the tongue, trigeminal senses, and volatile aroma compounds and is largely variable from one consumer to the next. Objectively measuring flavor is much more complicated than either juiciness or tenderness and requires either a highly-trained human sensory panel or expensive, highly-sensitive equipment. The development of the beef flavor lexicon in 2011 provided a comprehensive list of beef flavor descriptors with objective references for each and anchors along a scale of 0 to 15, allowing a trained sensory panel to objectively measure and score the flavor descriptors. Gas and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy objectively measure volatile aroma compounds and flavor precursors, respectively. Now the use of “omics” techniques have been adapted to flavor research to help relate protein, lipids, and other metabolites with flavor characteristics. Meat flavor is what most appeals to consumers and sets it apart from plant proteins. Furthermore, flavor serves as the guardrails to keep a premium marketability on track and is something that the livestock industry has that makes their product unique and desirable.

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