Flavor compounds in foods

The flavor of food is the most important sensory attribute affecting the acceptance and preference of consumers. Standards organizations in many countries defi ne fl avor as a total impression of taste, odor, tactile, kinesthetic, temperature, and pain sensations perceived through tasting [1]. It is widely accepted that flavor includes the aromatics, such as olfactory perceptions caused by volatile substances; the tastes, such as gustatory perceptions (salty, sweet, sour, and bitter) caused by soluble substances [2]; and the chemical feeling factors that are perceived as astringency, spicy hot, cooling, and metallic flavor, stimulating the nerve ends in the membranes [3]. The volatile compounds have low molecular weights and may be lost during processing. However, some important components that are naturally present in foodstuffs may participate in flavor development during the processing as well.