Aroma chemicals found in meat flavors
This is a fairly old report which is still valuable, and an update will be posted on this site soon.
A research paper provides the important aroma compounds that may be used to create meat flavors including beef flavor and chicken flavor.
Based on the report "Aroma Chemicals in Meat Flavors" by Yunus Shaikh et al., here is some information on flavor compounds, including their chemical names, FEMA numbers, and aroma descriptors as listed in the summary tables.
| Chemical Name | FEMA Number | Aroma / Flavor Descriptor (from paper) | Additional Aroma Descriptor (from other sources) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sulfur Compounds | |||
| 2-Methyl-3-furanthiol | 3188 | Roasted meat flavor | aroma of roasted meat |
| 2,5-Dimethyl-2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-dithiane | 3450 | Roasted meat flavor | chicken or onion smell |
| Thioesters of furan | 3162, 3347 | Roasted meat flavor | Meaty, brothy, roasted meat-like, sulfurous |
| 3,6-Dimethyl-1,2,4,5-tetrathiane | — | (Mutton flavor) | (pungent, sulfurous, alliaceous) |
| 3-Methyl-1,2,4-trithane | — | (Roasted meat flavor) | (meaty, roasted, sulfurous) |
| 2,4,5-Trimethyl hexathiane | — | (Roasted meat flavor) | (sulfurous, meaty) |
| 3-Thiaalkane-1,4-dione | — | (Roasted meat flavor) | (meaty, savory) |
| 4-Hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)thiophenone | — | (Roasted meat flavor) | (sweet, caramelic, with a meaty undertone) |
| Heterocycles (Furans) | |||
| 5-Methyl furfural | 2702 | Synthetic meat flavor | sweet, spicy, coffee, caramel odor |
| 2-n-Pentylfuran | 3317 | Bone meal flavor | beany, fruity, green, earthy aroma; green, waxy taste |
| Acetylfuran | 3163 | Smoke flavor | almond, nutty, milky odor |
| 2,2,5,5-Tetramethylfuran | — | (Synthetic meat flavor) | (camphoraceous, earthy) |
| Furan | — | (Synthetic meat flavor) | (ethereal, pungent) |
| 2-Methylfuran | — | (Synthetic meat flavor) | (chocolate, coffee, nutty odor) |
| 5-Methylfuran | — | (Synthetic meat flavor) | (ethereal, chocolate-like) |
| Propionylfuran | — | (Smoke flavor) | (sweet, balsamic, smoky) |
| 4-Hydroxy-5-Methyl-3(2H)Furanone | — | (Beef flavor) | (sweet, caramelic, burnt sugar, pineapple-like) |
| Thiazoles | |||
| 2,4-Dimethyl-5-acetylthiazole | 3263 | Roasted meat flavor | slightly sulfurous, meaty, nutty odor |
| 4,5-Dimethylthiazole | 3274 | Roasted meat flavor | fishy, amine and pyridine-like with shrimp and savory nuances |
| 2,4,5-Trimethylthiazole | 3325 | Roasted meat flavor | musty, nutty, vegetable, cocoa, chocolate, coffee odor |
| 2-Acetylthiazole | 3328 | Beef flavor | beef, nutty, popcorn, roasted peanut odor |
| Sulfurol | 3204 | Beef flavor | savory, meaty, roasted notes |
| 5-Acetylthiazole | — | (Roasted meat flavor) | (nutty, popcorn, roasted) |
| 2,5-Dimethyl-4-acetylthiazole | — | (Roasted meat flavor) | (meaty, nutty, sulfurous) |
| Thiazolines | |||
| 2,4,5-trimethyl-3-thiazoline | — | (Beef flavor) | (meaty, roasted, vegetative) |
| 2-Acetyl-2-thiazoline | — | (Roasted beef flavor) | (popcorn, roasted, cracker-like) |
| 2,4-Dimethyl-3-thiazoline | — | (Roasted beef flavor) | (sulfurous, meaty, nutty) |
| Oxazolines | |||
| 2,4-Dimethyl-3-oxazoline | — | (Beef flavor) | (green, vegetable, nutty) |
| 2,4-Dimethyl-5-ethyl-3-oxazoline | — | (Beef flavor) | (earthy, vegetative) |
| 2,4,5-Trimethyl-3-oxazoline | — | (Boiled beef flavor) | (nutty, musty, meaty) |
| Pyrazines | |||
| 2,3-Dimethylpyrazine | 3271 | Roasted meat flavor | nutty, peanut, coffee, walnut caramel odor |
| 2,5-Dimethyl pyrazine | 3272 | Chicken broth, grilled meat and beef flavor | cocoa, roasted nuts, roast beef odor |
| 2,3,5-Trimethylpyrazine | 3244 | Chicken broth, grilled meat and beef flavor | nutty, potato, roasted peanut odor |
| 2-Methylpyrazine | 3309 | Chicken broth, grilled meat and beef flavor | nutty, cocoa, chocolate, peanut odor |
| Aldehydes, Ketones and Alkenes | |||
| 2,6-dodecadienal | 3637 | Chicken flavor | fatty, citrus, green |
| 2,4,7-Tridecatrienal | 3638 | Chicken flavor | fatty, chicken-skin-like |
| 2-Trans-dodecenal | 2402 | Chicken flavor | citrus, fatty, mandarin-like |
| 3-Octen-2-one | 3416 | Meat flavor | earthy, mushroom, herbal |
| 1-Octen-3-ol | 2805 | Meat flavor | mushroom, earthy, oily |
| Hexaldehyde | 2557 | Meat flavor | green, grassy, fatty |
| Heptaldehyde | 2540 | Meat flavor | fatty, green, oily, pungent |
| Octaldehyde | 2797 | Meat flavor | waxy, green, citrus, fatty |
| 2-Trans-5-cis-undecadienal | — | (Chicken flavor) | (fatty, green, chicken-like) |
| 2-Trans-4-cis-7-cis-decatrienal | — | (Chicken flavor) | (fatty, citrus, chicken-skin) |
| 2,4-dodecadienal | — | (Chicken flavor) | (fatty, citrus, green) |
| 1-Udecene | — | (Synthetic meat flavor) | (waxy, fatty, mild) |
| 2,4-Dimethyl undecene | — | (Synthetic meat flavor) | (hydrocarbon-like, fatty) |
| 2,2,4-Trimethyl heptane | — | (Synthetic meat flavor) | (gasoline-like, fatty) |
| 2,2-Dimethyl-3,4-pentadienal | — | (Synthetic meat flavor) | (pungent, green, spicy) |
Important Note from the Document:
The document also mentions several other compounds by name and their application without providing a FEMA number in the summary table. These include:
- Sulfur Compounds: 3-Methyl-1,2,4-trithane, 2,4,5-Trimethyl hexathiane, 3-Thiaalkane-1,4-dione, 4-Hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)thiophenone (all for roasted meat flavor).
- Heterocycles: 2,2,5,5-Tetramethylfuran, Furan, 2-Methylfuran, 5-Methylfuran (all for synthetic meat flavor), Propionylfuran (smoke flavor), 4-Hydroxy-5-Methyl-3(2H)Furanone (beef flavor).
- Thiazoles: 5-Acetylthiazole, 2,5-Dimethyl-4-acetylthiazole (both for roasted meat flavor).
- Thiazolines: 2,4,5-trimethyl-3-thiazoline (beef flavor), 2-Acetyl-2-thiazoline, 2,4-Dimethyl-3-thiazoline (both for roasted beef flavor).
- Oxazolines: 2,4-Dimethyl-3-oxazoline, 2,4-Dimethyl-5-ethyl-3-oxazoline (both beef flavor), 2,4,5-Trimethyl-3-oxazoline (boiled beef flavor).
- Aldehydes, Ketones and Alkenes: 2-Trans-5-cis-undecadienal, 2-Trans-4-cis-7-cis-decatrienal, 2,4-dodecadienal (all for chicken flavor), and several compounds for synthetic meat flavor (1-Udecene, 2,4-Dimethyl undecene, 2,2,4-Trimethyl heptane, 2,2-Dimethyl-3,4-pentadienal).
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