Gas Chromatographic‐Olfactometric Aroma Profile and Quantitative Analysis of Volatile Carbonyls of Grilled Beef from Different Finishing Feed Systems

Abstract:  In this study, the important odor impact volatiles generated in the meat of grilled beef loin muscle were characterized. Animals were finished in 4 different diet systems: T₁, pasture (a mixture of Medicago sativa, Trifolium repens, and Festuca arundinacea); T₂, pasture supplemented with cracked corn grain (offered at 0.6% live weight, LW); T₃, pasture supplemented with cracked corn grain (offered at 1.2% LW); and T₄, concentrate (pellets with 85% corn and 12.8% sunflower, on a dry‐matter basis) plus alfalfa hay (both ad libitum). Aroma compounds were assessed by dynamic headspace‐solid phase extraction (DHS‐SPE) and gas chromatographic‐olfactometric (GC‐O) analysis. Most odorants were carbonyl compounds, some of them reaching high GC‐O scores, especially 1‐octen‐3‐one, (E)‐2‐octenal, methional, and hexanal. A specific quantitative analysis of ketones and aldehydes was conducted through their derivatization with o‐(2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluorobenzyl) hydroxylamine hydrochloride directly on the headspace trap and analyzed by GC‐MS, with the purpose of studying the effect of finishing diet systems. From the 23 carbonyl compounds quantified, 2 were especially affected by the diet system; methional was higher in the treatment based on concentrates, whereas (E,E)‐2,4‐heptadienal was higher in the treatment based only in pastures. The results are discussed considering previous published productive and quality traits.

Practical Application:  The knowledge of how production factors, such as animal feeding, can affect the flavor of meat is of significant interest toward in achieving a high‐quality and differentiated product. The development of more specific and efficient methodologies is necessary to analyze meat aroma compounds, which would be used as routine analysis, that is for product authentication. In the future, the use of this analysis would allow producing and designing specific foods according to different markets.