Flavor chemistry

The development of precise and reproducible methods of sensory analysis is prerequisite to the determination of what causes flavor, or the study of flavor chemistry. Knowing what chemical compounds are responsible for flavor allows the development of analytical techniques using chemistry rather than human subjects to characterize flavor (38,39). Routine analysis in most food production for the quaUty control of flavor is rare (40). Once standards for each flavor quaUty have been synthesized or isolated, they can also be used to train people to do more rigorous descriptive analyses. 

This example demonstrates the most challenging problem of flavor chemistry, ie, each flavor problem may require its own analytical approach however, a sensory analysis is always required. The remaining unknown odorants demand the most sensitive and selective techniques, and methods of concentration and isolation that preserve the sensory properties of complex and often dehcate flavors. Furthermore, some of the subtle odors in one system will be first identified in very different systems, like o-amino acetophenone in weasels and fox grapes. 

H. B. Heath, Flavor Chemistry and Technology, Avi Pubhcations Co. Inc., Westport, Conn., 1986. 

Isolation, separation, purification, and identification methods which were developed in flavor chemistry were applied in these experiments. Since such methods are described in detail in various places (3, 4), experimental details will not be described here. 

Glycoside Bioprocessing in Food and Flavor Chemistry 4.1 Steviol Glycosides... 

Ohloff, G. Flament, I. Pickenhagen, W. In Flavor Chemistry Food Reviews International Teranishi, R. Horns te in, I., Eds. ... 

Leffingwell JC (2004) Reflections on a half century of flavor chemistry. Speech at the 50th anniversary flavor symposium in October 2004 of the Society of Flavor Chemists. http //www. flavorchemist.org... 

Blank I, Milo C, Lin J, Fay LB (1999) In Teranishi R, Wick EL, Hornstein I (eds) Flavor Chemistry. Thirty Years of Progress. Kluwer/Plenum, New York, p 63... 

Reineccius GA (2006) Flavor chemistry and technology. Taylor Francis, Boca Raton Gerstel (2006) Thermal desorber catalogue. Gerstel, Baltimore, http //www.gerstel.com/tds-eng.pdf... 

Khatri, L. L. 1966. Flavor chemistry of irradiated milk fat. Diss. Abst. 26, 6638-6639. 

Engel, K.-H., Heidlas, J., Albrecht, W. and Tressl, R. (1989) in Flavor Chemistry. Trends and Developments. A-C-S-Symp-Ser-Am-Chem-Soc, (Teranishi, R.,... 

Rtsch, S.J and Chi-Tang. Ho "Spices, " Flavor Chemistry and Antioxidant Properties. Vol, 660. American Chemical Society, Washington. DC. 1997. 

Teranishi, R., Wick, E.L., and Homstein, I. 1999. Flavor Chemistry Thirty Years of Progress. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York. 

Werkoff, P., Giintert, M., Krammer, K Sommer, H., and Kaulen, J. 1998. Vacuum headspace method in aroma research Flavor chemistry of yellow passion fruits. J. Agric. Food Chem. 46 1076-1093. 

Feng, Y.-W. and Acree, T.E. 2001. Processing modulation of soymilk flavor chemistry. In Aroma Active Compounds in Foods (G.R. Takeoka, M. Guntert, and K.-H. Engel, eds.) pp. 251-264. American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. 

An excellent summary of food analysis in which flavor chemistry is given detailed coverage with many examples. 

Additives P. Michael Davidson University of Tennessee-Knoxville Dairy science James L. Steele University of Wisconsin-Madison Flavor chemistry and sensory analysis John Thorngate University of Idaho-Moscow... 

With several foods it has now become evident that only a few compounds are actually involved in the aroma [4-6]. Therefore, the main goals of modern flavor chemistry are (i) to identify those compounds predominantly contributing to a food flavor (ii) to characterize their precursors in the raw materials and (iii) to clarify the reaction pathways governing their formation during food processing and storage. Such data are prerequisites for the improvement of food flavors as well as the inhibition of off-flavors by technological steps. 

In the past several decades the use of combined gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (6C-MS) has produced quantum leaps in the science of flavor chemistry. 

Evans, C. D. Proc. Flavor Chemistry Symposium. Campbell Soup... 

Oat, Avena sativa, is a cereal which has been little studied, at least from a flavor point of view. Only a few investigations have been published, e.g. by Heydanek and McGorrin (7, 8). A review concerning oat flavor chemistry has also appeared quite recently (9). However, this cereal has attracted increased interest during the last few years, owing to the health benefits of oat. Examples are its cholesterol-lowering properties, the desirable physiological properties of fibre content and the favourable ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fats in its lipid content (10). 

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