Flavor meat processing

This interdependency of reactions has been most studied in meats, or model meat reaction systems [42,72,81]. Wasserman [82] was amongst the first to find that the lean portion of the meat supplied the meaty, brothy character and the fat provided the species character much of which is due to lipid/Maillard interactions. This knowledge has long been used in the manufacture of process products (meat flavors). Meat process flavors contain approximately the same sugars and amino acids for the basic meat flavor but contain different fats to give the unique pork, beef, or chicken notes. 

The flavor industry has introduced, over the years, methods of developing meat flavors by processing appropriate precursors under carefully controlled reaction conditions. As a result, meat flavors having a remarkably genuine meat character in the beef, chicken and pork tonalities are available for the food industry. It has repeatedly been stated that the Maillard reaction is particularly important for the formation of meat flavors. However, of the 600 volatile compounds isolated from natural beef aroma, only 12% of them find their origin in sugar/amino acid interactions and of these 70% are pyrazine derivatives. 

Protease (Aspergillus oryzae var.) Produced by controlled fermentation using Aspergillus oryzae var. The purified enzyme occurs as an off white to tan, amorphous powder. Soluble in water (the solution is usually light yellow), but practically insoluble in alcohol, in chloroform, and in ether. Major active principle protease. Typical applications used in the chillproofing of beer, in the production of bakery products, in the tenderizing of meat, in the production of protein hydrolysates, and in the development of flavor in processed foods. 

Bidmead, D.S., Giacino, C. Roasted meat flavor and process for producing same. US Patent, 1968, 3,394,016, assigned to International Flavors Fragrances. 

Process flavors include processed (reaction) flavors, fat flavors, hydrolysates, autolysates, and enzyme modified flavors. Production of dairy flavor by enzyme modification of butterfat is an example (Lee et al., 1986 Manley, 1994), while meat flavor produced by enzymatic reactions has a much longer history. 

Cysteine is an important precursor of meat flavor and is therefore often being used in precursor systems for the industrial production of meat process flavorings (1-4). Meat flavor development in these systems is usually based on the Maillard reaction of cysteine (and other amino acids) with sugars. Unfortunately, there are a few complications that prevent that high yields of volatile flavor compounds are obtained from these reactions. The first... 

In real meat and often also in precursor systems for meat process flavorings, the concentration of free cysteine is much lower than the total concentration of alt other free amino acids together (20-22). This means that in spite of the often much hi er reactivity of cysteine in these systems, a major part of die meat... 

The economical value and high popularity of meat lead to the production of meat-like flavors through process chemistry. Several heat-induced reactions lead to the formation of meat flavors. These reactions are the pyrolysis of peptides and amino acids, the degradation of sugars, the oxidation, dehydration, and decarboxylation of lipids, the degradation of thiamin and ribonucleotides, and interactions involving sugars, amino acids, fats, H2S, and NH3 [110],... 

The reproduction of meat-like flavors through process chemistry has been a primary target of the flavor industry for many years. Meats are expensive, and thus there is a strong financial incentive to develop substitute flavorings. The chemistry of raw and cooked meat flavor has been the subject of considerable research over the past 30 years, and this has provided the flavor indusfiy with invaluable data for the recreation of process meat-Uke flavorings [14-18]. 

The development of meat-like flavorings has been an evolutionary process [19], Early meat-like flavorings would probably more correctly be called meat extenders and were largely made from spice blends. The manufacturer would use spices normally associated with specific meats and sell them as meat enhancers or extenders. In the U.S. culture, one can envision sage being associated with pork, turmeric and celery with chicken, and onion and black pepper with beef. The use of these spice combinations did little to enhance the true meat flavor, but at least there was a flavor. Meat extracts have found some use in the industry and still do today. These byproducts of the meat processing industry (e.g., corned beef) provide little desirable flavor but contribute to a label statement of meat being present. 

Probably the largest barrier to most companies using lipids (as animal byproducts) is this latter requirement. A flavor company uses very few materials that support microbial growth and, in fact, resembles a chemical company more than a food company. Thus, the need to operate the equivalent of a meat processing facility is outside their normal operating environment. 

The final process applied to EM dairy products is thermal processing. Essentially, one applies a process similar to that of making a process flavoring (meat, chocolate. 

In the indnstry, a large portion of the process flavorings (meat-like flavors) are dried by tray drying. This process involves a substantial amount of heat that continues the reaction process and also retains a high amount of aroma components. This drying process is well suited to thermoplastic/hygroscopic materials, which includes the majority of meat-like flavorings. 

Soybean products that have been processed to remove a portion or all of the carbohydrates and minerals are used to make textured vegetable proteins which can be formed into various shapes and textures (see Soybean and other oilseeds). Many canned dog foods utilize the textured vegetable protein chunks with added juices, flavor enhancers, vitainins, and minerals to produce canned dog foods that have the appearance of meat chunks. 

The flavor of nutmeg is pleasant, warm, spicy, and aromatic. Nutmeg is used to flavor baked goods, processed meats, curries, and beverages. 

The functions of nitrite added to meat for the purpose of curing are now well known by many people because of the extensive publicity given to the process via the popular press. Nitrite added to meat results in a typical color and a characteristic flavor, provides microbiological protection especially against outgrowth of C. botulinum spores and may play a role in textural characteristics. 

Enantiomers of the same compound may have differing threshold values. This property was observed for a new, strong and high impact, flavor compound, 3-thio-2-methylpentan-l-ol, first detected in thermally processed materials but that is actually present in raw onions.54 First of all, there is a marked concentration effect at 1 ppm in 5% saltwater, the odor is described as sulfuric, burnt gum, sweaty, onion and at 0.5 ppb as meat broth, sweaty, onion, leek . Since there are two chiral centers (both dependent on carbon) there are four stereoisomers, all of which have been prepared 18a, 18b, 19a, 19b (Scheme 7). For this compound, enantiomers have the following marked differences in odor thresholds (but apparently all have the same general odor). 

---