APPROACHES TO THE PREVENTION OF WARMED-OVER FLAVOR

The demand for precooked, refrigerated ready-to-eat meat products is expected to increase both in the catering and retail sectors. In these products, the rate at which warmed-over flavour (WOF) develops often determines their shelf life. WOF is recognized by consumers as a 'leftover' or rancid taste that rapidly develops in cooked meats during refrigerated storage and is associated with oxidative deterioration of meat. Several approaches can be applied to retard the development of WOF. The purpose of this short review is to discuss how the development of WOF can be retarded, with special emphasis on the application of antioxidants and optimization of processing conditions.