Research by a UC Davis chemist offers an explanation for thedifferent flavors produced by cooking in microwave and conventional ovens. Toasted and roasted flavors common in conventionally cooked foods, but typically lacking in microwaved foods, can be attributed to a difference in the quantity and quality of certain chemical compounds produced by the different cooking methods, according to Takayuki Shibamoto, professor and chair of the environmental toxicology department. In studies presented at the recent American Chemical Society meeting, Shibamoto used two analytical techniques known as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify the chemicals produced by the two heating systems. He found that conventional heating produced significantly higher amounts of two groups of chemical compounds known as pyrazines and furans than did microwaving. "The contrasts in the flavor profiles of microwaved and thermally heated foods suggest that the different forms of energy used have different mechanisms for forming these compounds," Shibamoto says.