The role of triglycerides and phospholipids in the aroma of cooked beef

Abstract The intramuscular triglycerides and the structural phospholipids were selectively removed from beef muscle by solvent extraction and the aroma of the residual material assessed after cooking. Removing triglycerides had little effect on the aroma of the cooked meat, but when both triglycerides and phospholipids were removed a marked difference in aroma was observed. The headspace volatiles from the different cooked meats were entrained on Tenax GC and analysed by combined gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. The profile of headspace volatiles for the meat devoid of triglycerides was similar to that from an unextracted control and the major components were aliphatic alcohols and aldehydes. Removing phospholipids as well as triglycerides gave a markedly different volatile profile; the quantities of aliphatic aldehydes were considerably reduced and only traces of aliphatic alcohols were found, while the amounts of benzaldehyde and pyrazines were greatly increased. The latter explains some of the changes in roast aroma.