Effect of Microwave Heating on Flavour Generation and Food Processing

The flavour and colour of a food product have significant impacts on consumer acceptability. Two of the challenges with microwave food products are that it is often difficult to achieve the desired flavour that matches products prepared in a conventional oven or by frying and to get the browning that the consumer expects. There are reactions that occur in those processes that do not occur when foods are heated in the microwave oven and this is part of what contributes to the lack of flavour and colour development. In trying to solve the flavour issues, it is important to understand what flavours are as well as all of the attributes of a food product that lead to consumer liking. Solving the colour problem involves an understanding of the reactions that produce colour and finding ways to get those reactions to occur. The typical browning which occurs when foods are heated by conventional means produces not only the desired brown pigments but also produces a variety of desirable flavours.