CFC Flavor Application & Processing Technology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Maillard reaction requires which two key reactants to proceed?
- Fatty acids and water
- Reducing sugars and amino acids or proteins (Correct answer)
- Starches and lipids
- Organic acids and alcohols
Correct answer: Reducing sugars and amino acids or proteins
The Maillard reaction initiates with the condensation of the carbonyl group of a reducing sugar with a free amino group from an amino acid or protein, producing hundreds of flavor compounds.
Question 2: Thermal degradation of thiamine (Vitamin B1) in meat during cooking contributes which flavor notes?
- Sweet caramel notes
- Fruity ester notes
- Meaty, roasted, and sulfurous notes (Correct answer)
- Bitter phenolic notes
Correct answer: Meaty, roasted, and sulfurous notes
Thiamine degrades under heat to produce sulfur-containing intermediates that react further to form key meaty, roasted, and sulfurous flavor compounds including thiophenes and furans.
Question 3: Lipid oxidation during food processing primarily generates which off-flavor compounds?
- Pyrazines and furans
- Terpenes and polyphenols
- Aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids (Correct answer)
- Esters and lactones
Correct answer: Aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids
Autoxidation of unsaturated fatty acids produces peroxides that decompose into short-chain aldehydes (e.g., hexanal), ketones, and carboxylic acids responsible for rancid, cardboard, and painty off-flavors.
Question 4: From a flavor quality standpoint, the primary goal of pasteurization is to:
- Maximize Maillard browning for flavor development
- Kill pathogenic bacteria while minimizing thermal damage to flavor compounds (Correct answer)
- Fully sterilize the product to achieve ambient shelf life
- Caramelize sugars for desired color and taste
Correct answer: Kill pathogenic bacteria while minimizing thermal damage to flavor compounds
Pasteurization uses the minimum heat treatment necessary for pathogen reduction, balancing microbiological safety against preservation of fresh flavor characteristics.
Question 5: Extrusion cooking generates desirable snack flavors primarily through:
- Cold fermentation in the extruder barrel
- Enzymatic hydrolysis at low temperatures
- Vacuum distillation of flavor precursors
- High-temperature, high-pressure Maillard and caramelization reactions (Correct answer)
Correct answer: High-temperature, high-pressure Maillard and caramelization reactions
The combination of high barrel temperatures (130–180°C) and elevated pressures in extrusion creates ideal conditions for Maillard browning and caramelization, producing toasted, nutty, and cereal flavor notes.
Question 6: Retort processing (canning) produces a characteristic 'cooked' flavor primarily due to:
- Complete loss of all terpene volatiles
- Enzymatic browning during cooling
- Formation of Maillard products and degradation of sulfur-containing compounds (Correct answer)
- Terpene isomerization at low temperatures
Correct answer: Formation of Maillard products and degradation of sulfur-containing compounds
The high temperatures (121°C+) and long processing times of retort canning drive extensive Maillard reactions and thermal degradation of sulfur compounds, creating cooked, sterilized flavor notes.
CFC Flavor Application & Processing Technology 2
The Maillard reaction requires which two key reactants to proceed?