Flavors created by cooking in a microwave oven and a conventional oven are significantly different. The difference is due to the formation, both in quality and quantity, of heterocyclic compounds. The volatile heterocyclic compounds generated from an aqueous D-glucose/L--cysteine Maillard system upon microwave irradiation or conventional heating were isolated and identified by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Heterocyclic compounds were formed in considerably higher amounts in the microwave-irradiated samples. They included thiazole, 2,5-dimethylthiazole, 4,5-dimethyloxazole, 2-methylpyridine, and 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one. Compounds formed in significantly higher amounts in the conventionally heated samples were 2-methylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, 2-furanmethanol, and 4-hydroxy-2,5,-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone. The lack of desirables cooked flavors in microwaved foods may be due to the absence of or decreased formation of pyrazines and furans. The flavor profiles of microwaved and conventionally heated foods suggest that the formation mechanism of compounds, especially of pyrazines, are different. Various factors such as electrolytes, pH, and moisture content have been shown to alter the generation of volatiles and degree of browning in microwaved systems.Foods cooked in the microwave oven often lack the desirable flavors and browning which are normally found in foods cooked by conventional heating. This may be due to a short cooking time and low achievable cooking temperature. With the increasing popularity of the microwave oven, understanding the differences in the chemistry and flavor profiles of foods generated in the presence of microwave irradiation and conventional heating will be valuable for the development of appealing microwaved food products. Furthermore, techniques to enhance the degree of browning and flavor production in microwaved products should be explored. Some attempts in this regard have been made by the use of susceptor packagings and food coatings (7).