On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 264

relative proportions depending on the nature of the fat Compounds from forage plants contribute to the “cowy” flavor of beef Lambs and sheep store a number of unusual molecules, including branched-chain fatty acids that their livers produce from a compound generated by the microbes in their rumen, and thymol, the same molecule that gives thyme its aroma The “piggy” flavor of pork and gamy flavor of duck are thought to come from intestinal microbes and their fatsoluble products of amino-acid metabolism, while the “sweetness” in pork aroma comes from a kind of molecule that also gives coconut and peach their character (lactones) Grass versus Grain In general, grass or forage feeding results in stronger-tasting meat than grain or concentrate feeding, thanks to the plants’ high content of various odorous substances, reactive polyunsaturated fatty acids, and chlorophyll, which rumen microbes convert into chemicals called terpenes, relatives of the aroma compounds in many herbs and spices (p 273) Another important contributor to grass-fed flavor is skatole, which on its own smells like manure! The deep “beefy” flavor of beef, however, is more prominent in grain-fed animals And the flavor carried in fat gets stronger as animals get older, as more of the flavor compounds are put into storage This is why lamb is generally more popular than mutton from mature sheep Meat Pigments Are a Good Source of Iron One of meat’s nutritional strong points is that the body absorbs its iron more efficiently than it does iron from vegetable sources The reason for this is not well understood, but it’s possible that the pigment proteins hold onto iron and prevent it from being bound up with ... popular than mutton from mature sheep Meat Pigments Are a Good Source of Iron One of meat’s nutritional strong points is that the body absorbs its iron more efficiently than it does iron from vegetable...convert into chemicals called terpenes, relatives of the aroma compounds in many herbs and spices (p 273) Another important contributor to grass-fed flavor is skatole, which on its own... smells like manure! The deep “beefy” flavor of beef, however, is more prominent in grain-fed animals And the flavor carried in fat gets stronger as animals get older, as more of the flavor compounds