Flavor Formation in Fruits and Vegetables

This chapter will provide an overview of how flavor is formed in plants. Discussion will primarily focus on aroma compounds as opposed to taste compounds. The reader is encouraged to read other more comprehensive sources such as Reineccius and Reineccius [1], Taylor and Mottram [2], Teranishi et al. [3], Schieberle and Engel [4] or Rouseff and Leahy [5] for detail in this subject area. 

If flavor is the result of an evolutionary process, it may be in how it influences animal behavior or miaobial degradation. Animals may be attracted to a pleasant flavor, promoting the consumption of the plant and the spread of its seeds. An unpleasant flavor (unripe) may deter an animal from eating the plant until it has had time to come to reproductive maturity (or at all). Some flavor components have antimicrobial properties that may protect the plant s reproductive elements to enhance survival. While much of this rationale for existence is conjecture, it is unlikely that human pleasure figured into this process. We are likely simple benefactors of a long-term, perhaps evolutionary, process. 

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The types of spoilage caused by bacteria in fruits and vegetables are diverse they include sensory changes, degradation of compounds, and formation of new substances such as acids, volatile compounds, and polymers. For example, the bacteria produce a set of enzymes such as pectinases, cellulases, proteases, and others that causes maceration and softening of tissue. Off-flavor development is common in contaminated tissues, caused by volatile compounds produced by microflora (Jay 1992). 

It Is generally recognised that In fruit and vegetable production more attention should be given to the hidden sensory quality parameters, such as flavor and texture. These quality attributes are the result of a number of pre- and post-harvest factors and are closely related with fruit ripening. Palllard distinguishes external and Internal factors Influencing aroma formation In fruits (U. The... 

Aside from actual incorporation of this substance into foods, benefits may be derived in other ways. For example, one such suggested use76 is for the formation of a coating on meats, fruits, and vegetables, in conjunction with antimold substances, for protecting the foodstuffs from bacteria and molds. It is also noteworthy that the addition of carboxymethylcellulose to foods, prior to dehydration, is said to improve the retention of natural flavors. 

As mentioned earlier, the process leading to aroma formation in vegetables is quite different than that of fruits. Vegetables do not have a ripening period as fruits do. While some vegetables will develop flavor during growth (much of taste and a limited... 

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