Developments in meat flavor

Improved understanding and ability to make consistently tender meat have made cooked flavor the determining factor in meat palatability. From the identification of umami flavor to dry-aging strategies, the development of meat flavor is very complex. Stemming from the presence of flavor precursors, and undergoing thermal degradation reactions to create volatile compounds responsible for the aroma and overall flavor of cooked meat. Investigations into precooking strategies, including livestock management and postharvest practices provide insight into development of flavor precursors, nonvolatiles, and muscle tissue as a baseline of what cooked meat flavor could become. Meat cookery methods can also promote flavor differences, including oxidation processes involved in deleterious flavor attributes such as warmed-over flavor. Additionally, evaluating flavor compounds is essential to connect cooked meat flavor to consumer acceptability. Investigating new, unique methods to quickly classify and quantify flavor compounds act as initial indicators of cooked meat quality, similar to marbling as a measure of palatability. Concurrently, sensory evaluation identifies relationships between flavor compounds and consumer flavor, a benchmark for depicting ideal flavor profiles across various cuts. Subtle changes in product composition and handling strategies could generate drastically different flavor results in cooked meat. As knowledge of flavor development increases, improved flavor outcomes should be possible.