Flavor interactions with proteins

Flavor loss due to reactions with proteins creates numerous problems for the food industry, including reduced product shelf life, difficulties in creating and maintaining a desirable flavor, and a major flavor loss on pasteurization or sterilization. A lack of methodologies to study these reactions has limited our understanding of what types of reactions occur (covalent or noncovalent bonding) and the rates of these reactions. Early research focused on total rates of flavor loss, while recent developments in instrumentation have permitted researchers to distinguish between mechanisms of flavor loss, thereby providing insight for managing these losses. The recent development of electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry has permitted the direct measurement of covalent flavor reactions with smaller proteins, for example, β-lactoglobulin. This methodology and related proteomics are making it possible to better understand these reactions. • Flavoring components readily react with proteins. • Flavor:protein reactions may result in change in character or strength of flavorings. • Reactions are specific specific amino acids react with specific flavor molecules. • Rates of flavor: protein reactions are today unknown.