Meat+Poultry - June 2018 - 60

INGREDIENT ISSUES

understanding when to use one over the next.
"The majority of the time the delivery
method, either through the seasoning, into
the meat block, drenched on product, or
atomized in the smokehouse can seem
straight forward," says Christopher Rodrigues,
culinary council member at LifeSpice.
"But there are inevitably snags that can be
frustrating, but present learnings on best uses,
a trial and error of sorts.
"Liquid smoke comes in water- and fatsoluble forms," Rodrigues says. "Water-soluble
smokes can be applied directly to the meat
block at many different stages. Fat-soluble
smokes can be used very similarly, with the
added benefit of being plated on the seasoning
side prior to going into the meat block. This
can be beneficial because there is less
processing needed at the manufacturing facility
and less user error. 
"Dried or plated versions of smoke are
better implemented through a seasoning blend
and used on a ground or chopped and formed
product, as whole muscle applications can have
aversions to absorbing the carrier leaving a
residue that may be unwanted," Rodrigues says.
Some smoke ingredients contribute
functional benefits to meat and poultry
applications, including possibly extending shelf
life and combating spoilage.
"Smoke is a multi-dimensional ingredient,
which in addition to imparting the familiar
attributes of aroma, color and flavor, contains

naturally occurring compounds that inhibit
both oxidative rancidity and certain classes
of known spoilage and pathogenic bacteria,"
Johnson says. "This may extend shelf life and
flavor stability during storage and distribution." 
Smoke and grill flavors also assist with
adding flavor to meat analogs. This is proving
to be helpful with improving the taste of the
growing category of plant-based meat products
now on the market.
"Consumers have become accustomed
to a certain flavor profile and when they go
meatless, they still expect that flavor profile,"
Schissler says.
Smoke flavors can assist with improving
the taste of plant-based meat alternatives, in
particular patties and sausages. Usage levels
may be reduced, as plant-based products tend
to be higher in moisture and lower in fat than
their meat and poultry counterparts. This often
results in increased flavor intensity.
"Seasoning companies have a great
opportunity to enhance these alternate proteins
to improve on acceptability," Rodrigues says.
"Counterintuitively, the goal on the seasoning
side will not always be to make the plant-based
protein taste like meat, as the base consumer
can still have aversions to rich meaty notes
through association. Within those parameters
there is still a lot of room for making really
delicious umami rich flavors within these plantbased protein systems to deliver to the growing
expectations of the consumer."

- BRAD WEBER

60

MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.18 | www.meatpoultry.com

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"Caramelized, ashy,
savory, smoky,
roasted, charred,
when fat drips
from the meat and
hits the coals, new
flavors are created."
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Meat+Poultry - June 2018

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