Reactivity and stability of selected flavor compounds

Flavor is the most important aspect of food. Based on the complex matrix of the food system and the flavor structure themselves, one important factor that plays a key role in the quality attribute of food is flavor stability. Not surprisingly, there is a large volume of published research investigating the stability of different food flavor compounds, since understanding flavor stability is crucial to creating greater awareness of dietary flavor application. This review presents a variety of factors that are thought to be involved in the stability of several selected important flavor compounds and the approach to improve the stability of different flavors. Some mechanisms of chemical degradation of flavor compounds were also provided.