Flavor generation, seafood

Exploratory Model Employing Suriml to Evaluate Plant-Based Seafood Flavor Generation... 

When mushroom homogenates were incubated with surimi, enhanced plant-like aromas somewhat reminiscent of oysters were produced, and this treatment also resulted In the masking of some of the fish-like aromas of the surimi. Cucumber homogenates developed strong cucumber, cardboard-like aromas which appear to be contributed principally by 2-nonenal and 2,6-nonadienal. As a result, the cucumber homogenates caused undesirable and unbalanced aromas that did not suppress unpleasant fishiness. Watermelon fruit extracts behaved similarly, and also provided unbalanced sweet aromas to surimi. Tests to date have been limited to short-term incubations of crude enzyme preparations with surimi. Further exploration of more purified and controlled plant-based flavor-generating enzyme systems for the production of fresh seafood-like aromas, and especially those for the eight-carbon volatile aroma compounds, appear warrented. 

The development of both desirable and undesirable fishy flavors has long-been a concern to the seafood and fishery Industry (1-6). Oxidative processes occurring through enzymic and nonenzymlc mechanisms Initiate hydroperoxide formation In fish lipid systems that are responsible for the formation of the short chain carbonyls and alcohols which exhibit distinct flsh-llke flavors and aromas. Because the generation of fresh fish aroma compounds Involves some of the same polyunsaturated fatty acid precursors and oxidative pathways as autoxldatlon. It has been a tedious task to differentiate the mechanisms and aroma compounds... 

The relative ratios of alcohols and carbonyls for the six-, eight- and nine-carbon volatiles in fish (23-24) and oysters (26) parallel those encountered in cucumber fruits (37) and mushrooms (27, 56) if the two systems are combined. Therefore, the use of plant-based enzyme systems for the controlled generation of fresh seafood flavors and aromas has been under consideration in our laboratory as a means to overcome some of the self-inactivating problems associated with fish lipoxygenases. 

Bailey, M. E. In Flavor of Meat, Meat Products and Seafoods, Sh idi, F., ed. Blackie Academic Professional New York, NY, 1998, pp. 267-289. Mottram, D. S. In Thermally Generated Flavors Maillard, Microwave and Extrusion Processes, Parliament, T. H., Morello, M. J. and McGorrin, R. J., eds. ACS Symposium Series 543 American Chemical Society Washington, DC, 1994, pp. 104-141. 

---