Commercial meat and poultry processing for heat-and-eat style entrees is not conducive to many cooking methods that contribute desirable flavors to the protein. This is particularly true with products prepared using sous vide technology, a cooking technique involving vacuuming and sealing food in a plastic pouch and slow cooking it in water at low temperatures until it is fully cooked.

“We’ve developed cooking cue flavors that enable meat and poultry processors to deliver culinary authenticity at the industrial manufacturing level,” said Matt McGuffey, product manager-savory, Givaudan Flavors Corp., Cincinnati. “This allows them to add a layered flavor dimension to differentiate in the market.”

Shredded chicken can be flavored with rotisserie, while beef kabobs enhanced with “grilled” flavor. Other culinary technique flavors include braised, caramelized, crusty-fatty, fatty-fried, grilled, roasted, sautéed and wok-fired.

“These flavors bridge the gap from culinary to industrial processing, allowing for the development of restaurant-quality heat-and-eat meats,” McGuffey said.