fruity and floral, nutty and grassy (esters, ketones, aldehydes) Surface Browning at High Temperatures If fresh meat never gets hotter than the boiling point of water, then its flavor is largely determined by the breakdown products of proteins and fats However, roasted, broiled, and fried meats develop a crust that is much more intensely flavored, because the meat surface dries out and gets hot enough to trigger the Maillard or browning reactions (p 778) Meat aromas generated in the browning reactions are generally small rings of carbon atoms with additions of nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur Many of these have a generic “roasted” character, but some are grassy, floral, oniony or spicy, and earthy Several hundred aromatic compounds have been found in roasted meats! Heat and Meat Color The appearance of meat changes in two different ways during cooking Initially it’s somewhat translucent because its cells are filled with a relatively loose meshwork of proteins suspended in water When heated to about 120ºF/50ºC, it develops a white opacity as heat-sensitive myosin denatures and coagulates into clumps large enough to scatter light This change causes red meat color to lighten from red to pink, long before the red pigments themselves are affected Then, around 140ºF/60ºC, red myoglobin begins to denature into a tan-colored version called hemichrome As this change proceeds, meat color shifts from pink to brown-gray The denaturation of myoglobin parallels the denaturation of fiber proteins, and this makes it possible to judge the doneness of fresh meat by color Little-cooked meat and its juices are red, moderately cooked meat and its juices are pink, thoroughly cooked meat is brown-gray and its juices clear (Intact red ... denature into a tan-colored version called hemichrome As this change proceeds, meat color shifts from pink to brown-gray The denaturation of myoglobin parallels the denaturation of fiber proteins, and this... makes it possible to judge the doneness of fresh meat by color Little-cooked meat and its juices are red, moderately cooked meat and its juices are pink, thoroughly cooked meat is brown-gray and its juices clear (Intact red... as heat-sensitive myosin denatures and coagulates into clumps large enough to scatter light This change causes red meat color to lighten from red to pink, long before the red pigments themselves are affected Then, around 140ºF/60ºC, red myoglobin begins to