Aroma‐active components of yeast extract pastes with a basic and characteristic meaty flavour

Abstract BACKGROUND Aroma‐active compounds, together with sugars, amino acids, fat and nucleotides, are the main chemical species determining the characteristic aroma and taste of food. For selecting yeast extract pastes products with a less undesirable aroma, the aroma‐active compounds that affect the overall consumer acceptance of yeast extract pastes products were analysed in this work . RESULTS The aroma‐active compounds of yeast extract pastes were extracted by using dynamic headspace extraction or simultaneous distillation extraction, and were detected by gas chromatography–olfactrometry–mass spectrometry in conjunction with dynamic headspace dilution analysis or aroma extract dilution analysis. Sensory results revealed that a meaty, roasted aroma was the dominant of overall aroma. The important aroma‐active compounds referred in this work were mainly aldehydes, acids, ketones, furan derivatives, pyrazines, and sulfur‐containing compounds. Of these, six volatile compounds such as 3‐methylbutanal, 2,3‐butanedione, 2,3,5‐trimethyl‐pyrazin, acetic acid ethenyl ester, 2‐acetyl‐1‐pyrroline and ( E , E )‐2,4‐decadienal had never been reported before as key aroma‐active compounds of yeast extract pastes . CONCLUSIONS The key aroma‐active compounds were identified in basic and characteristic meaty flavour yeast extract pastes, and their characterisation was determined. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry