Understanding complex interactions between flavour precursors in meat-pulse products using a flavouromics platform

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Meat analogues and extenders are increasingly popular as consumers shift their eating patterns to more sustainable alternatives. Pulse flours are added to meat products to lower total fat, and enhance nutritional content, however a major challenge in doing so is an increased susceptibility to oxidation leading to off-flavours caused by specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Heat treatments like micronization can be used to inhibit this oxidative process by decreasing the activity of certain enzymes, such as lipoxygenase (LOX). We have previously demonstrated how micronized pulse flours added to beef burgers could significantly decrease VOCs associated with beany aroma and in turn, increase consumer acceptability. We hypothesize that the addition of pulse flour to meat will create a new matrix, affecting the structure, stability and availability of key flavour precursors, which will impact the generation and concentration of VOCs during cooking. Micronization will also impact the activity of other heat-sensitive enzymes found in pulse flours, which, in turn, will modify the composition and concentration of the final VOCs generated from meat-pulse products. The long-term objective of this research is to gather information related to flavour precursors, VOCs, LOX activity and sensory characteristics of food products combining meat and selected pulse flours with and without micronization in order to generate a database. This database will be used to understand the flavour formation and to predict sensory outcomes of novel food products for the purposes of inactivating enzymes that lead to the formation of undesirable VOCs. The proposed work is highly novel in seeking to elucidate the molecular structure of VOCs, and to understand the role played by various enzymes and naturally occurring PUFAs. Findings will be valuable to Canada's food industry to add further value to pulses, and also to consumers by providing a wider selection of functional foods in the marketplace. The work undertaken in this 5 year cycle will support training opportunities for one Ph.D. and two M.Sc. and five summer undergraduate students, providing a unique experience in a state-of-the-art flavouromics laboratory allowing them to develop an important skill set that will benefit Canada's agricultural industry sector.