UNIT 9 - FLAVOURS

FLAVOUR

Definition

Flavour is the sensory impression of food or other substance, and is determined primarily by the chemical senses of taste and smell.
The Flavor of the food, as such, can be altered with natural or artificial flavorings.
Flavor is defined as the combined effect of taste and aroma of food.
The flavor and aroma of food usually declines when it is handled processed or stored, like in coffee, milk, and cooked meats.
However in certain exceptions the flavor of food is enhanced on processing like cheese is ripened, wine is aged, or meat is aged.

Classification of Flavours

Description of food flavours

TEA

• Tea is the second most widely consumed beverage around the world after water . 
• The popularity of tea as a global beverage rests on its pleasant flavor, mildly stimulating effects, and nutritional properties, which people find appealing and attractive. 
• According to the manufacturing process, tea can be divided into at least three basic types: non-fermented green tea, fully fermented black tea, and semi-fermented oolong tea .
• The flavor of tea can be divided into two categories: aroma, which consists mainly of volatile compounds; and taste, which consists mainly of non-volatile compounds. 
• The volatile aromas are important criterion in the evaluation of tea quality.
• The liquid that results from brewing tea is called the liquor.

Flavour and Aroma of Tea

• The sense of smell and taste are intricately linked together. 
• Tea is filled with natural antioxidants, also known as polyphenols. 
• These provide the health benefits in tea and also a good portion of the taste.
• Polyphenols bind with our saliva and create a dry sensation on the tongue and sides of the mouth.
• They also provide the brisk, tannic (acid) bite that is associated with tea.
•  Also important to note: astringency is a physical sensation, whereas bitterness is a flavor - the two can easily be confused, but they are different. 

COFFEE

• Coffee owes its characteristic flavor to caffeine although by itself caffeine without its aroma has a faint bitter taste. 
• Coffee also contains alkaloids, volatile aromatic products and substances belonging to the phenolic series. 
• It stimulates the central Nervous System. 
• The composition of coffee is – 15.30%-nitrogenous substances 11.40%-fatty matter 70.2%-caffeine.

WINE

• The biggest contributor to flavor is yeast. 
• It is the fermentation process that truly gives a wine its flavors. 
• In order for a yeast to live it has to eat and what it likes to eat most is sugar. In the process, the sugar is digested and ends up as two things—carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol. Once all the sugar is gone, the yeast stop growing and eventually die. 

MEAT

• Most of meat's flavor develops when it is cooked. The amount of fat in meat influences its flavor, as does a process called the Maillard reaction. Flavor can also be added to meat through brining and marinating.
• The Maillard reaction occurs when the denatured proteins on the surface of the meat recombine with the sugars present. The combination creates the "meaty" flavor and changes the color. 
• The Maillard reaction occurs most readily at around 300° F to 500° F. When meat is cooked, the outside reaches a higher temperature than the inside, triggering the Maillard reaction and creating the strongest flavors on the surface. 
• The molecules of the amino acids and sugars combine to form new aromas and flavors. The Maillard reaction is also responsible for the brown colour of cooked foods.
• It normally occurs at very high temperatures, but if there is a high concentration of sugars and amino acids, then it will occur at lower temperatures. 

FISH

• Fish gets its flavor from the natural oils present in the fish all over its body.
• The higher the fat content, the more powerful the taste, as evidenced in appropriately named species like King Salmon. 
• Colder water increases this fat content and therefore the level of deliciousness. 

SPICES

• Spices give aroma, color, flavor, and sometimes even texture to food.
• Each spice, chile, or herb has specific, unique chemical compounds that create these sensual qualities. 
• When talking about spices, a true spice aficionado simply cannot be limited to just four or five. 
• For these people, there are many more equally identifiable flavor characteristics- cooling (mint, fennel), earthy (cumin, saffron), floral(lemon grass, coriander), fruity(star anise, tamarind), herbaceous(oregano, rosemary), hot(mustard, chilli), nutty(fenugreek seeds, sesame seeds), piney(bay leaf, thyme), pungent(garlic, ginger), spicy(nutmeg, curry leaves) and woody(cinnamon, cloves).
• Spices usually do not have a single flavor profile. 
• For example, the popular spice cumin falls into a few of the flavor profiles as it is both earthy and spicy. Thyme is bitter, floral, herbaceous, and piney.