The flavor chemistry of pork broth: a review

Pork is widely consumed in the world. The unique and attractive flavor is one of the major drivers of consumer liking for pork. Even though the flavor of pork products varies heavily depending on the processing and cooking method, pork broth is very popular in East Asian countries and could serve as a perfect model for studying the flavor chemistry of pork. While quite a number of studies have been carried out on this topic, only a few meet the basic criteria of modern flavor chemistry approaches. By reviewing these publications, 12 volatile compounds, including 4 sulfur containing compounds, 4 aldehydes, 1 alcohol, 1 ester, 1 lactone, and 1 carboxylic acid, were selected as the major aroma active components in pork broth. While the taste of pork broth mainly comes from the basic tastants such as amino acids, organic acids, inorganic minerals, and nucleotides, the role of taste modifiers in pork broth has yet to be investigated. More research is needed to further clarify the flavor chemistry of pork broth.