Food Aroma Compounds

Aromatized foods have undergone a great development over the past decades due to the significant increase of industrially produced food, which are often subjected to aroma losses during processing and storage. Although thermal processing technologies warrant food safety, they also accelerate several chemical reactions (such as lipid oxidation, Maillard reaction, caramelization), which differently impact the food sensory profile according to the food composition and structure. In some cases, aromatization is in fact required to counterbalance such thermal-induced changes and/or to replace some natural flavor ingredients are not always available and/or are too expensive. Consequently, the food industry has been facing an increasing demand to develop and to improve processing technologies and preservation techniques with minimal impact on the fresh taste, texture and nutritional value of food products. Moreover, optimal formulation and processing strategies of food aroma incorporation systems are needed to warrant their successful inclusion and protection, thus avoiding their degradation and formation of off-flavor or off-odor in the final products. Recently, a series of emerging processing technologies (e.g. non-thermal technologies, nanotechnology) have been explored as an alternative to conventional ones, in order to obtain safe products with sensory and nutritional attributes similar to those of fresh products. Moreover, the novel developed techniques aim to improve their sustainability and to reduce their environmental impact, without disregarding the process performance parameters and the quality and safety of food aroma compounds. This chapter offers an overview of the main natural and technology-derived food aroma compounds, with a critical focus on the novel extraction and delivery strategies, as well as the effects of emerging food processing technologies on food aroma.