Meat + Poultry - October 2004 - 54

cheeses or vegetables (especially
beans, onions or garlic).
Certain ethnic or regional foods
are also commonly considered to
convey savory flavors. Barbecue,
Asian dishes made with soy or fish
sauces, and the smoky, roasted
peppers of Southwestern cuisine
all fit the bill. When preparing these
foods, the aromas wafting through
the air urge one to ask, "How soon
do we eat?"
So, how does one develop and use savory flavors in meat
snacks? Savory flavors stimulate the senses of smell and taste.
The aromas emanating from preparation of rich soups or grilling of
meats are indeed mouthwatering. Capturing these flavors so a consumer experiences the same sensations when opening a package
of food or biting into a meat snack is a challenge for both R&D and
packaging professionals. It's not enough to develop a wonderful
product if its flavors do not hold up during distribution. Developing
these flavors and maintaining them through to the consumer must
become a team effort.

Changes in color are
associated with undesirable
changes in flavor.

First impressions
Aroma is a key element of taste. The human sense of smell detects substances with molecular weights ranging from 100 to 300.
The smallest members of almost all chemical series have little
odor, yet when the molecular weight gets too high, there is also
not much odor.
Using the aldehyde series as an example, formaldehyde has
little odor but plenty of sting and pungency; acetaldehyde, propan aldehyde, butyric aldehyde and valeric aldehyde increase in
intensity of odor. Beyond the C-7, C-8 and C-9 forms, the odor of

MEAT&POULTRY

the aldehyde series decreases just as it increased at the lower
weights. So, product development scientists need to work to develop flavors that are released by heat in the mouth and are of
low enough molecular weight to assure that they are appreciated
to the maximum.
Color is another element that must be considered when developing new foods. Its importance cannot be underestimated. One grave,
and as yet unresolved, problem in food color is fading or discoloration
in some products. Frequently, changes in color are associated with
undesirable changes in flavor, texture or odor. For example, meats,
fish and cheese can develop off colors, which are immediately recognized and associated with poor quality.
Consumers expect certain colors in particular foods. When the expectation is not met, even though there may be no flavor associated
with the color, the food will evoke skepticism. Most consumers tend
to associate savory flavors with reds or browns.
Understanding the five functions of color in shaping human reactions to foods will help guide the product developer's selection.
They include:
* Perception - The selection and judgment of food quality is
extremely difficult if color discrimination were to be removed,
even though other cues are left intact.
* Motivation - Both the color of a food and the color of the
environment in which the food is seen can significantly increase or decrease its appeal.
* Emotion - Liking or disliking a food is conditioned by its color. For example, most individuals will not respond positively
to a barbecue-flavored item that is bright green.
* Learning - By experience, we learn what colors to expect
and consider natural, and we predict the properties of a food
or beverage based on those colors.
* Thinking - Reactions to new foods can be tempered by explanations. Of course, even conditioning might not elicit a
positive response to a green-colored barbecue product.
Mintel International Group, a Chicago-based international source
of media, product and consumer intelligence, is known for its research about new products in the food and beverage industry. In a
recent survey of people who influence the purchasing of flavoring
ingredients, respondents indicated that the flavors that would most
likely be purchased for new products were those based on fruits,

www.MEATPOULTRY.com

OCTOBER 2004

http://www.MEATPOULTRY.com

Meat + Poultry - October 2004

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat + Poultry - October 2004