The eating quality of meat: III—Flavor

Meat flavor is affected by the major precursors, proteins, and lipids. In this chapter, the main reactions involved in the development of cooked meat aroma are fully described: lipid degradation, Maillard reactions, Strecker degradation, thiamine degradation, and carbohydrate degradation. In addition, the different isolation and identification techniques used for flavor characterization of the volatile compounds present in meat are described together with techniques used for evaluation of potent odorants such as odor activity value and olfactometry analysis. The aroma compounds in cooked meat from different animal species have been summarized together with those pre- and postslaughter factors affecting it. The antemortem factors are age, breed, sex, feeding practices, fat level, fat profile, and composition while postmortem factors are aging, cooking, storage after cooking, and the development of off-flavors due to irradiation and storage. Finally, the development of meat product flavor through wet and dry curing is explained, and the main aroma compounds are defined.