Effects of reheating and high-temperature sterilization on warmed-over flavor in beef: Insights into oxidation and flavor compounds.

This study examined the impacts of thermal processing, including boiling, pasteurization (water bath, 30 min), sterilization (121 °C, 15 min), and reheating, on lipid and protein oxidation and flavor in beef, to elucidate warmed-over flavor (WOF) mechanisms. Pronounced WOF occurred in reheated and high-temperature samples, driven by two synergistic processes: (1) Volatile aldehyde accumulation from intensified lipid oxidation, with key off-flavor contributors like hexanal, (E)-2-octenal, decanal, dodecanal, pentadecanal, hexadecanal, and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal (OAV > 1); (2) Depletion of desirable flavorants, including (R)-γ-decalactone, linalool, (E)-2-octen-1-ol, and 2-nonen-1-ol, correlated with protein oxidation (P < 0.05, VIP > 1, PLS-DA), suggesting reduced flavorant-protein binding. Oxidations increased dose-dependently with thermal intensity, linked to heme iron release. These insights reveal WOF arises from oxidative off-flavor formation and impaired desirable compound retention, aiding strategies to mitigate flavor deterioration in processed meats.