Flavour and WHC Flashcards
What are the basic 5 tastes and what compounds are they usually associated with?
Sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (savouriness). Examples of compounds contributing to basic tastes: sucrose, citric acid, salt, caffeine, MSG
Flavour developes due to the thermally induced reactions that occur in which 3 fractions?
water soluble/lipid soluble and between the 2
Where do the basic meat aroma and species specific aromas come from?
Basic meat aroma from the lean and the species specific aroma from the fat, but this is a general assumption
What is the structural difference between SFAs, MUFAs and PUFAs?
SFAs have no double bonds, MUFAS have 1 and PUFAs have >1
Give an example of a reaction responsible for flavour in the water-soluble fraction and the associated compounds involved
Maillard reaction: sugar + amino acid into a furanone or Strecker degradation: an amino acid+ dicarbonyl results in the oxidative deamination and decarboxylation of amino acids, resulting in a Strecker aldehyde, or a furanone + H2S create a thiophene. Others are thiazoles, pyrazines, pyrroles.
Give an example of a reaction responsible for flavour in the lipid-soluble fraction and the associated compounds involved
Lipid oxidation, in the presence of O2 and an unsaturated fatty acid, aldehydes are fomed, such as hexanal
Explain the relative importance of lipid derived volatiles vs water derived volatiles referring to their odour thresholds
“Lipid-derived volatiles “quantitatively dominate” over Maillard-derived volatiles (the main source of volatiles in the
water fraction). But odour thresholds of lipid-derived compounds are much higher than those derived from water soluble precursors (i.e.
amino acids, sugars)Therefore, aroma significance of lipid-derived volatiles not as great”
What is the relationship between carcass fatness and flavour?
there is no correlation between the 2
Where can phospholipids and triglycerides be found in meat?
the first one in the cell membrane and the second ones are storage fat
Why flavour develops even in low-fat meat?
because Phospholipids are more unsaturated than triglycerides →yield more volatiles. Even low-fat meat (muscle) has phospholipids (in cell membranes) → flavour develops
Why are phospholipids more important than triacylglycerols in flavour development?
Phospholipids are more unsaturated than triglycerides → yield more volatiles
How does pH affect WHC? When is WHC at its minimum?
the more we move away from 5, the better for WHC, so the more neutral the better
What does WHC in meat means?
it is the ability to retain water during the application of external forces
What are the 3 “forms” in which water can be found in meat?
Bound <10%, immobilised (with myofibrils), free (drip about 10%)
What is the relationship between pork juiciness and fat thickness?
The higher the fat, the jucier the meat
