NEW RESULTS IN THE CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF MEAT AROMA

Volatile components from defatted, uncured and cured meat of the three species - pork, beef and chicken - were stripped of the carbonyl components and then absorbed in an organic solvent (pentane) using the nitrogen purge-and-trap (NPT) technique. A total of 44 compounds not previously reported in the meat-flavour literature were identified. It was also evident that the meat-flavour concentrates prepared by the NPT method showed the presence of heterocyclic and phenolic constituents not detected in the aroma concentrates previously prepared by us using continuous steam-distillation-extraction. Tetrahydro-2,4-dimethylfuran, 3-propyl,1H-1,2,4-triazole and 2,4,6-trimethylpyridine may be responsible for the species-specific flavour notes in pork, while 1,12-dodecanediol and 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methylphenol have been uniquely identified in chicken. The ''beef-like'' aroma perhaps includes alpha-pirene and camphene. 2-Methylcyclopentanol was found to be unique to cured-meat aroma.