BEEF SAFETY/QUALITY

Understanding the chemistry of beef flavor

by Bridget Baird
Associate Director, Product Enhancement Research NCBA

Summary
Flavor is a critical sensory trait that influences consumer
acceptance of beef. Beef flavor, which develops when heat
is applied, depends on the amounts and proportions of
precursor compounds present. Meat is composed of water,
proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins.
Of these, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates play primary
roles in flavor development because they include several
compounds capable of developing into important flavor
precursors when heated.
A recently developed executive summary, authored by M.
Susan Brewer, Ph.D., at the University of Illinois, overviews
existing literature to explain the chemistry behind beef flavor.
The text below includes excerpts from the full summary.

Background
Several management and processing steps can influence
flavor constituents. These include animal diet, aging,
enhancement and heating or cooking. In addition, beef flavor
can vary from muscle to muscle and the potential exists for
off-flavor development in beef products.

Cattle diets affect beef flavor

High-energy grain diets produce a more acceptable,
intense flavor in red meats than low-energy forage or grass
diets. More than 40 percent of the variation in beef flavor
between grass- and grain-finished beef, unaged and aged,
is attributed to diet. This flavor variation may be due to
the fact that forage-fed beef contains more linolenic acid
and less oleic and linoleic acids when compared with
concentrate-fed beef.
Cattle diets containing fish byproducts, raw soybeans or
canola oil and meal can cause undesirable flavors in beef.
The increase in unsaturated fatty acids may be to blame for
undesirable flavors because unsaturated fatty acids can lead
to increased oxidation during storage and cause rancidity.

Beef flavor strengthens with aging

Unaged beef has a weak, bland odor, while aged beef
has a strong, savory, roasted odor. Aging up to 14 days
can increase fatty flavor and positive flavor notes such as
beefy, brothy, sweet and browned caramel, though
it also can increase some negative flavor attributes such as
painty, cardboard, bitter and sour. Postmortem beef

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pH decline facilitates flavor changes. The conditions (oxygen

availability, temperature, humidity and aging time) in which
beef is aged affect the ultimate flavor. Aging in a highoxygen environment can result in a burnt, toasted off-odor.
In addition, dry-aging increases or concentrates beef flavor
more than aging in vacuum or in carbon dioxide.

Enhancement can improve beef flavor

Brine injection, or enhancement, can improve the
sensory quality of beef. Enhancement solutions often
contain a form of phosphate to retain moisture and contain
salt to enhance flavor and retain moisture. Enhancement
solutions may also contain flavor enhancers (i.e. sodium
and/or potassium lactate) and flavoring ingredients (i.e. beef
broth). Enhancement generally ranges from 6 percent to 12
percent of initial product weight; higher concentrations of
added ingredients can create off-flavors. Enhanced beef is
saltier, more intensely beef flavored and has less off-flavor
and beany/grassy aroma than non-enhanced beef; however,
enhanced beef also may exhibit atypical flavors. The salt in
an enhancement solution increases beef flavor and saltiness
while masking potential off-flavors. Enhancement affects
sensory characteristics of various beef muscles differently.

Heating beef creates its distinctive flavor

The compounds formed when beef is cooked produce the
aroma attributes that contribute to the characteristic flavors
of meat. At least 17 compounds contribute specifically
to the aroma of cooked beef. Heating (cooking) also
develops flavor via the browning, or Maillard, reaction.
Cooking temperatures affect these reactions. Heating
at lower temperatures (less than 165C) versus higher
temperatures (greater than 180C) results in a difference
in the concentrations of a number of flavor compounds. In
addition, cooking appears to affect umami- (a taste described
as savory) related compounds by reducing the amount of free
glutamate (amino acid) present.

Some conditions can cause off-flavors

Oxidation of meat lipids damages both the odor and
flavor of fresh, cooked, stored (refrigerated or frozen) and
re-heated meat resulting in rancid and/or warmed-over flavor.
Oxidation can be initiated by light, heat, metals (iron and
copper), myoglobin (the major pigment in muscle which
contains iron) and some commonly used food ingredients.
Cooking beef prior to storage accelerates lipid oxidation and
often precipitates warmed-over flavor, which is described as a
stale, cardboard-like, painty or rancid odor. Warmedover flavor can develop in pre-cooked frozen meats in a few
days; however, it is usually associated with cooked meat that

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BEEF SAFETY/QUALITY

has been refrigerated for 48 hours or less. Storing beef in a

vacuum environment slows development of chemical markers
of flavor deterioration; modified atmosphere packaging
maintains beef flavor if oxygen is excluded.
Liver flavor is an objectionable off-flavor sometimes
associated with beef. As iron content increases, liver flavor
increases and beef flavor decreases in some muscles.
Muscles often exhibiting liver-like flavor have higher levels
of heme iron and/or myoglobin. Beef from bulls has a
stronger liver-like odor, flavor and bloody flavor while beef
from heifers has a stronger beef flavor. In addition, carcass
maturity can affect iron content and increase off-flavors with
older maturity having more of a negative impact on flavor.

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Key Points
Flavor is a critical sensory trait that affects
consumer acceptance of beef.
Beef flavor results from a myriad of compounds
present in varying proportions that are affected by
available precursors (fatty acids, proteins, etc.).
Beef flavor development can depend on cattle
diets, postmortem changes (enzyme activity or
aging), the muscle in which these changes are
occurring, addition of ingredients (enhancement/
marinades), pre-heat storage conditions, heat
treatment and post-heat storage conditions.

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