Measuring meat flavour

Abstract

The unique savory, umami and fatty flavors of meat are strong drivers of liking. Most of the important molecules (non-volatile and volatile) responsible for meaty flavors have already been characterized by instrumental and sensory methods. Despite this, the molecular patterns responsible for more subtle nuances between different species and the contribution of specific lipids and small peptides to meat flavor, are still not fully understood. While it is unlikely that a new magical meat flavor molecule will be discovered, there is evidence that small peptides, and nucleotide analogues may play a role in the full expression of desirable meat flavor. Animal type, breed (genetics) and other preslaughter factors (diet, stress, animal age, muscle type, intramuscular fat content) and postslaughter factors (hanging method, aging, preparation, and cooking method) all affect the flavor of meat. The human sensory system (gustation and olfaction) and trained experts and sensory panels still provide the most sensitive, rapid, comprehensive, and reliable measurement of taste and aroma of meat and other sensory properties. Sensory methods are discussed in other sections of this publication. This chapter provides an overview of some commonly applied instrumental methods in meat flavor research. The widespread availability of highly sensitive instrumentation that rapidly generates huge amounts of chemical data, is allowing new insights into the molecular features that are associated with optimal meat quality and flavor, especially when coupled with multivariate data analysis. Patterns in the metabolome (non-volatile flavor) and volatilome (volatile flavor) of meat can be correlated with sensory and consumer liking data for powerful insights. Accurate measurement of the molecules responsible for eliciting a chemosensory response remains technically challenging and requires skilled technicians, careful sample preparation and can be time consuming. Real-time volatile fingerprinting methods, such as enabled by e-sensor devices and gas-phase ionization techniques can provide a rapid direct, or indirect, indicator of meat quality and flavor.