Tanoj K. Singh

Effect of enhancement and ageing on flavor and volatile compounds in various beef muscles.

To identify and quantify selected flavor-active volatile compounds and relate them to sensory characteristics, the gluteus medius (round), rectus femoris (round), vastus lateralis (round), vatsus medialis (round), teres major (chuck), infraspinatus (chuck), complexus (chuck), serratus ventralis (chuck), psoas major (loin) and longissimus dorsi (loin) were removed from heifer carcasses, enhanced, vacuum packaged, aged for 7 or 14days, steaks were cut, vacuum packaged and frozen (48h). Flavor-active volatiles affected by enhancement and ageing in the various muscles included nonanal, 2,3-octanedione, pentanal, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, 2-pentyl furan, 1-octen-3-ol, butanoic acid, pentanal and hexanoic acid, compounds often associated with lipid oxidation. Enhancement decreased hexanal and hexanoic acid. Ageing decreased butanoic acid. Pentanal content varied among muscles depending on enhancement and ageing. Livery off-flavor was positively correlated with pentanal, hexanal, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone and hexanoic acid. Rancid off-flavor was correlated with pentanal and with 2-pentyl furan but not with hexanal.

Sheepmeat Flavor and the Effect of Different Feeding Systems: A Review

Lamb has a unique flavor, distinct from other popular red meats. Although flavor underpins lambs popularity, it can also be an impediment to consumer acceptance. Lack of familiarity with sheepmeat flavor itself can be a barrier for some consumers, and undesirable feed-induced flavors may also compromise acceptability. Against the backdrop of climate uncertainty and unpredictable rainfall patterns, sheep producers are turning to alternatives to traditional grazing pasture systems. Historically, pasture has been the predominant feed system for lamb production in Australia and around the world. It is for this reason that there has been a focus on pastoral flavor in sheep meat. Pasture-associated flavors may be accepted as normal by consumers accustomed to meat from pasture-fed sheep; however, these flavors may be unfamiliar to consumers of meat produced from grain-fed and other feed systems. Over the past few decades, studies examining the impacts of different feeds on lamb meat quality have yielded variable consumer responses ranging from no effect to unacceptable, illustrating the diverse and sometimes inconsistent impacts of different forages on sheepmeat flavor. Despite considerable research, there is no consensus on which volatiles are essential for desirable lamb aroma and how they differ compared to other red meats, for example, beef. In contrast, comparatively little work has focused specifically on the nonvolatile taste components of lamb flavor. Diet also affects the amount of intramuscular fat and its fatty acid composition in the meat, which has a direct effect on meat juiciness and texture as well as flavor, and its release during eating. The effect of diet is far from simple and much still needs to be learned. An integrated approach that encompasses all input variables is required to better understand the impact of the feed and related systems on sheepmeat flavor. This review brings together recent research findings and proposes some novel approaches to gain insights into the relationship between animal diet, genetics, and sheepmeat quality.

Flavours and Off-Flavours in Milk and Dairy Products

Milk and milk products are an important part of daily nutrition in many regions of the world. Besides fulfilling nutritional requirements, the flavour of milk and milk products is a key parameter for consumer acceptance and marketing (Drake et al., 2007a). The market for dairy products in more traditional dairying countries has been growing steadily; most of this growth can be attributed directly to the introduction of novel product options and increasing application of milk constituents in other food formulations. Due to the importance of dairy products in daily life, especially for consumers in traditional dairying countries, they are being used increasingly as delivery systems for biologically active/nutraceutical preparations. Even higher growth in the consumption of milk and milk products is now coming from countries which did not have any tradition of dairying; such countries offer tremendous opportunity for further enhanced sales. At the same time this increased consumption also challenges researchers and manufacturers to create new product solutions to better suit the palette of consumers recently introduced to dairy products.

Tocopherol and Ascorbate Have Contrasting Effects on the Viability of Microencapsulated Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG

The antioxidants, sodium ascorbate and tocopherol, have contrasting effects on the viability of microencapsulated Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) spray-dried powders during storage (4 and 25 °C; 32, 57, and 70% relative humidity). The addition of tocopherol improved probiotic viability during storage, while the incorporation of Na-ascorbate alone or in combination with tocopherol had detrimental effects on probiotic survival. The beneficial effect of tocopherol is a consequence of its chemical antioxidative action. The reduced viability in Na-ascorbate containing microcapsule formulations is hypothesized to be due primarily to the production of acetic acids arising from chemical degradation reactions and the catabolism of ascorbate by LGG. This study highlights the importance of considering the detrimental consequences of degradative chemical reactions and the metabolic fate of additives on the viability of probiotics when designing probiotic encapsulant formulations.

Characterisation of Cheddar cheese flavour by sensory directed instrumental analysis and model studies

Commercial Cheddar cheeses with and without a beefy/broth-like flavour note had a remarkable similarity in their overall GCO-AEDA and DHDA aroma compounds profiles. However, the beefy/broth-like Cheddar samples had particularly high flavour dilution factors for 3-(methylthio)propanal (methional) and 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone (Furaneol). 2-Ethyl-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone and 2-methyl-3-furanthiol (MFT) were identified at higher but overall low intensities in broth-like cheeses. Sensory analysis of mild flavoured Cheddar cheese spiked with a combination of methional, Furaneol and MFT showed a more intense beefy/broth-like.