Food Flavor Chemistry, Sensory Evaluation, and Biological Activity

This book presents summaries of papers that were presented at the 2005 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies (Pacifichem) Meeting in Honolulu, HI, December 15-20, 2005. The chapters are authored by leading international scientists in the area of flavor chemistry and analysis. The book is divided into five sections. The first section focuses on analytical methods for flavor analysis, including developments in multidimensional separations, new chromatography stationary phases, diverse sensors for rapidly detecting multiple compounds, and methods to quantitatively measure interactions between flavors and matrix components. In the second section, the focus is on identification and characterization of flavors in a diverse array of foods and beverages, including grapes, celery, tea, and mesquite pods. Mechanisms of flavor formation including thermal generation of aromas as well as characterization of genes and enzymes involved in flavor formation are emphasized in the third section. In the fourth section the focus is on relating chemical composition to sensory perception, particularly in complex mixtures. Finally, chapters in the last section focus on the biological activity of essential oils and flavors.