EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON THE ANALYSIS OF BEEF FLAVOR VOLATILES - FOCUS ON CARBONYL AND SULFUR-CONTAINING-COMPOUNDS

This paper demonstrates that the volatile flavor profiles from cooked and cooked/stored ground beef are directly affected by and related to the purge temperature for volatile isolation. Minimal analytical effic acy and recovery are seen when the samples are purged at 50 degrees C. This is thought to arise from inefficient extraction of flavor volati les. Different and potentially misleading chromatographic profiles are obtained when the samples are purged at 100 degrees C. This response is thought to be due to conversion of one volatile species to another. Optimal extraction and limited conversion of the volatiles are seen a t a temperature of 75 degrees C. The data clearly suggest that a more accurate picture of food volatile composition and, therefore, potentia l flavor can best be appreciated by a thorough examination and underst anding of the effect of temperature on the development and content of these volatile mixtures.