Meat Flavor: Contribution of Proteins and Peptides to the Flavor of Beef

The flavor of a food is one of the principle factors involved in a consumer’s purchase decision; meat is no exception. This makes it necessary for food technologists to have a thorough understanding of flavors and changes in flavors if they are to prepare products that consumers will purchase repeatedly. Such knowledge is particularly important in meat and meat products, since the development and deterioration of meat flavor is a continual process (Spanier et al., 1988, Spanier et al.,1990, Spanier et al.,1992a, Spanier et al.,1993; St. Angelo et al., 1988) that involves both the generation and loss of desirable flavor components (St. Angelo et al., 1988; Drumm and Spanier 1991; Spanier and Drumm-Boylston 1994) and the formation of off-flavor compounds (Bailey 1988; Spanier et al., 1992b; St. Angelo et al., 1992; Timms and Watts 1958). The development of many of these flavor producing components is associated with the process of postmortem aging (Spanier et al., 1997), with the end-point cooking temperature (Spanier et al., 1996), and with the process of lipid oxidation (St. Angelo 1992). Mention of brand or firm names does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture over others of a similar nature not mentioned