Origin and Nature of Aroma in Fat of Cooked Poultry

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Abstract
SUMMARY: Fat of raw poultry, separated from solid tissue and washed with water at temperatures not exceeding 40°C does not contain cooked poultry aroma and does not develop it when heated. Hence, cooked poultry aroma cannot be derived from the fat alone. Washed and filtered fat from cooked poultry contains characteristic cooked poultry aroma dissolved in it. The aroma of this fat is caused by compounds which dissolve in it during cooking and which apparently stem from nonfat or lean portions of the meat. The ability of fat to dissolve or acquire substances during cooking was demonstrated by showing that fat of cooked poultry contains more sulfur than does fat of raw poultry. Less than 2% of this sulfur build‐up occurs as hydrogen sulfide. The magnitude of the sulfur build‐up was 8 to 14 times greater in the fat of roasted poultry than it was in the fat of simmered chicken. Authentic amino acids in contact with poultry fat at a typical roasting temperature readily underwent Strecker type degradation. Furthermore, aroma components representing typical amino acid degradation products were found in fat from roasted turkey. These analytical results indicate protein, amino acids and probably also sugars and other water soluble components are invoved in aroma formation. Hence fat contributes to cooked poultry aroma indirectly and passively through its ability to dissolve and retain aroma components formed during cooking. Consequently, the characteristic cooked poultry aroma in fat of cooked poultry is not derived from the fat itself but comes from and is thus dependent on the “lean”.

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