Background: Flavor is a major determinant of consumer acceptance for barley, highland barley, wheat, and oats, yet its formation is often studied in isolated stages rather than as a connected process. Scope and approach: This review systematically integrates the representative volatile flavor compounds in barley, highland barley, wheat, and oats and traces flavor development across three stages, including flavor precursor biosynthesis in raw grains, precursor transformation during storage, and the mechanisms underlying final flavor formation during processing. Key findings and conclusions: Aldehydes are generally abundant in raw and stored cereals, whereas thermal processing and fermentation diversify volatile profiles through the formation of heterocyclic compounds, volatile phenols, alcohols, ketones, acids, and esters. In raw grains, genetic regulation and enzymatic lipid oxidation establish the initial pool of flavor precursors. During storage, non-enzymatic lipid oxidation generates reactive carbonyl compounds, while the hydrolysis of starch and proteins releases reducing sugars, free amino acids, and small peptides. During processing, the Maillard reaction, thermally induced lipid oxidation, and microbial metabolism convert these precursors into diverse volatile flavor compounds. Cereal flavor formation is governed by interactions among genotype, storage conditions, and processing technologies. Overall, this review provides a theoretical basis for elucidating the mechanisms of cereal flavor formation and regulating flavor development throughout the transition from raw grains to processed products.
- From precursor biosynthesis to processing-induced flavor development: mechanistic insights into flavor formation in Barley, Highland Barley, Wheat, and Oats
- M Chen - State Key Laboratory of Food Science and TechnologyT Li - Nanjing Forestry UniversityWaleed Ahmed Yahia Al-AnsiP Zhou - State Key Laboratory of Food Science and TechnologyY Ren - University of SaskatchewanK Wang - University of SaskatchewanM Fan - State Key Laboratory of Food Science and TechnologyH Qian - State Key Laboratory of Food Science and TechnologyY Li - State Key Laboratory of Food Science and TechnologyL Wang - State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology
- Trends in Food Science and Technology, Vol.177, pp.1-16
- 0924-2244
- 1879-3053
- 177
- Elsevier Ltd
- 16
- (UNIBZ)99695335
991007419658301241 - WOS:001857881500001
- 2-s2.0-105047893362
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences
- English
- Journal article
- Chen M, Li T, Al-Ansi W, Zhou P, Ren Y, Wang K, Fan M, Qian H, Li Y, Wang L