ABSTRACT
Summer is not only the time for everyone to enjoy the sun; it also gets us excited about the mouthwatering smoky taste of barbecued food. Although everyone agrees that charcoal- and wood-grilled food is delicious, few really appreciate the chemistry behind the great smoky flavour of barbecued meat. When wood and charcoal burn, cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignins are thermally degraded. Lignins are responsible for the smoky flavour; indeed, a variety of phenolic compounds are generated through the oxidative degradation of lignins via pyrolysis. Wood and charcoal have been proven to play a crucial role in the production of the smoky taste and smell; however, the glycation reactions sometimes called Maillard reactions also strongly contribute to the delicious flavour of grilled food. Moreover, these also provide the grilled meat with the characteristic brown colour. Although wood- and charcoal-grilling brings delicious smoky flavour and smell to the meat, it can also generate harmful chemicals.
