Aroma compounds in food

Arome hrane igraju važnu ulogu kod našeg ukupnog doživljaja hrane. Utječu na naše preferiranje i prihvaćanje hrane, te upozoravaju na neispravnost namirnica. Aromu čine kompleksi hlapljivih spojeva koje percipiramo olfaktornim sustavom. U ovom radu obrađeni su osnovni pojmovi vezani za arome u hrani: odoranti, vrijednost i prag prepoznavanja arome. Objašnjen je mehanizam nastanjanja podražaja i njegov put sve do stvaranja percepcije, također i razlike koje nastaju ovisno o putu podražaja ili interakcijom aromatičnih tvari. Prikazani su načini laboratorijskih analiza arome i eventualni nedostaci tih postupaka. Spojevi zaduženi za arome čine vrlo raznoliku skupinu spojeva, s velikim razlikama u kemijskim strukturama i fizikalnim svojstvima. Navedeni spojevi mogu nastati enzimskim i neenzimskim reakcijama, također mogu biti produkt fermentacije mikroorganizama. Obrađeni su najpoznatiji spojevi i njihove karakteristike. S današnjim saznanjima na području aroma hrane razvijeni su tehnološki postupci koji potrošačima omogućuju proizvode s minimalnom mogućnosti promjene arome u nepoželjnu ili neočekivanu.Food aroma plays an important role in our overall food experience. It affects our food preference and acceptance, and alarms us about food defects. The aroma is a complex of volatile compounds that are perceived by the olfactory system. In this paper, the basic concepts related to food aroma are addressed: odorants, aroma value and recognition threshold. The mechanism of stimulus formation and its pathway to perception formation are explained, as well as differences that arise depending on stimuli pathyway and the interaction of aroma substances. The methods of laboratory analysis of aroma and the possible difficulties encountered during these procedures are presented. Aromatic compounds form a very diverse group of compounds, with wide variations in chemical structures and physical properties. These compounds can be formed by enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions, and may also be the product of fermentation of microorganisms. The most famous compounds and their characteristics are analyzed. With today's knowledge in the field of food aroma the technological methods have been developed that provide consumers with products that have minimal possibility to change odor to unwanted or unexpected