Effects of steam-assisted roasting on the quality of beef

• 1、State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China

Abstract：In order to evaluate the effect of steam addition during meat roasting, beef sirloin steaks were cooked by a combi oven at 5 humidities (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) under 230 ℃ to a center temperature of 71 ℃. The physical indexes such as cooking loss, surface color and shear force value of heated beef were measured, and the chemical indexes such as TBARS value, carbonyl content, the content of volatile flavor substance and 8 kinds of heterocyclic aromatic amine were determined. With increased humidity, heating rate generally increased and the cooked steak gradually lost the typical roasted appearance. TBARS (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances) values generally increased, while carbonyl groups were not affected. Increased humidity promoted the formation of volatile aldehydes and alcohols, while pyrazines decreased significantly from 0% to 25% humidity. Steam-assisted roasting inhibited the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs). However, further increase in humidity (larger than 25%) did not have additional inhibition effect. Based on the results, it is recommended to roast beef with steam addition to reduce toxic HAAs, but the humidity should be kept at a relatively low level to maintain a typical roasted appearance and flavor profile. This study provides a theoretical basis for the application of steam-assisted roasting technology in food industry and domestic cooking.

Keywords： Humidity, Combi oven, Lipid oxidation, Volatile compounds, Heterocyclic aromatic amines, Principle component analysis.