Association between Complex Flavor Development and Changes in Meat Structure during Cooking: Histological Imaging Analysis

We used histological imaging to visualize tissue structure changes in the intramuscular fat (IMF) region of beef during roasting. Despite different beef cuts and recipes, heated IMF always formed “channels” of beef juices/oil, allowing the aqueous phase and oil phase flavor reactions to converge. Oil droplets, which facilitate the interaction between lipid oxidation and the Maillard reaction, were observed in the intramuscular juices/oil of roasted beef rib meat and well-done ribeye steaks. Images taken from ribeye steaks at different “doneness” showed that oil droplets started appearing in well-done steaks. In contrast, the structure of cooked IMF in medium and medium-well steaks was more conducive to independent lipid oxidation and Maillard reactions. These findings suggest that the flavor reaction in meat during cooking is developed in a concurrent and multistep way, regulated by biological structure changes, which can be critical for producing authentic meat flavor.