The contribution of the Maillard reaction to the smell of bacon
The science behind the appealing aroma of bacon cooking.
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Transcript
SPEAKER 1: We all know bacon is delicious. It's so delicious, others foods are actually made better by adding bacon to it. You can even wash your body in bacon. But there's something else that makes bacon the best breakfast food out there, the smell. Throw some bacon onto the pan, and as soon as the sizzle starts, people are flocking to the kitchen. But why?
Our friend over at Compound Interest, a chemistry blog, wrote down the aroma science for us. It turns out there's about 150 organic compounds that contribute to the sweet smell of bacon. See, when you throw it in the pan, sugars react with the amino acids in the bacon. It's called Maillard Reaction, and it's basically what causes anything you cook, like steaks, breads, dumplings, and so on, to turn brown.
For bacon, the Maillard Reaction combines with the melting fats to produce the aroma compounds. What are they, you say, as you get hungrier and hungrier? About 2/3 of the compounds are hydrocarbons and aldehydes. Hydrocarbons are just hydrogen and carbon atoms chained together in thousands of different ways. Some of those changes just happen to produce a pleasant odor.
Aldehydes are equally simple. They still have carbon, but they bond with oxygen as well as hydrogen, and some produce a lovely smell. But it just may be nitrogen-containing compounds that makes bacon smell like nothing else in the universe. These compounds are called pyridines and pyrazines, which put off a smell of their own.
Pyridines in bacon contribute to its meaty aroma. But combine them with hydrocarbons, aldehydes, and other odor compounds, and they become the major contributor to bacony goodness. So there you have it, 150 compounds all mixing together in a pan to make bacon smell delicious.
Our friend over at Compound Interest, a chemistry blog, wrote down the aroma science for us. It turns out there's about 150 organic compounds that contribute to the sweet smell of bacon. See, when you throw it in the pan, sugars react with the amino acids in the bacon. It's called Maillard Reaction, and it's basically what causes anything you cook, like steaks, breads, dumplings, and so on, to turn brown.
For bacon, the Maillard Reaction combines with the melting fats to produce the aroma compounds. What are they, you say, as you get hungrier and hungrier? About 2/3 of the compounds are hydrocarbons and aldehydes. Hydrocarbons are just hydrogen and carbon atoms chained together in thousands of different ways. Some of those changes just happen to produce a pleasant odor.
Aldehydes are equally simple. They still have carbon, but they bond with oxygen as well as hydrogen, and some produce a lovely smell. But it just may be nitrogen-containing compounds that makes bacon smell like nothing else in the universe. These compounds are called pyridines and pyrazines, which put off a smell of their own.
Pyridines in bacon contribute to its meaty aroma. But combine them with hydrocarbons, aldehydes, and other odor compounds, and they become the major contributor to bacony goodness. So there you have it, 150 compounds all mixing together in a pan to make bacon smell delicious.
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