Use of egg yolk to imitate meat aroma

Egg yolk contains abundant meat precursors, but its odor is quite different from meat aroma. In this study, the lipids in egg yolk were partly removed by acetone or totally removed by chloroform/methanol, and lutein was removed simultaneously by the solvents. Then, the samples were heated, and the volatiles and aroma profiles were analyzed. The results showed that chicken meat aroma and meat aroma were imitated successfully through the removal of neutral lipids and lutein (acetone-treated) and total lipids and lutein (chloroform/methanol-treated) egg yolk samples, respectively. Finally, additional lutein and tert-butylhydroquinone were employed for validating the inhibiting effects of lutein on lipid oxidation and Maillard reaction, and the results demonstrated that it was lutein rather than lipids or their degradation products that determined the flavor formation. These findings push forward the mechanisms for the formation of meat flavor and provide insights for future manufacturing of meat aroma.