Off-Flavor Impact Compounds in Foods and Beverages
Getting familiar with these off flavor compounds may help trouble shooting when an off flavor occurs in a food or beverage. In that case, the important task is often times to decide how to prevent the formulation of or contaminated with such an off-flavor compound.
Not all compounds that render an off-flavor are always bad in a food or beverage. Some compounds that are identified in wrong places as rendering an off flavor can be useful in another place or flavor. Likewise, some off-flavor note can contribute positively to a flavor product.
The criterion to determine a flavor compound is bad or good in a food or beverage is your desire. If you want a flavor note to show up in a food or beverage, then it is a contributing flavor note or compound. If you hate it, then it will be considered as an off-flavor or off flavor compound.
Impact compound | Off flavor description/note | Occurrence
Geosmin | Musty, earthy | Catfish, wheat, water
2,4,6-Trichloroanisole | Musty, moldy | Coffee, wine corks, raisins
2,4,6-Tribromoanisole | Musty, moldy | Casein, wine corks, wine
2-Methylisoborneol | Earthy, musty | Coffee, catfish, beans
2-iso-Propyl-3-methoxypyrazine | Peasy | Coffee, cocoa beans
Ethyl formate | Fermented | Coffee, roasted
4,4,6-Trimethyl-1, 3-dioxane | Musty | Packaging film
8-Nonenal | Smoky, plastic | Polyethylene packaging
Iodocresol | Medicinal | Lemon cake mix
(E)-2-Nonenal | Cardboard, stale | Beer, packaged
(E)-2-Nonenal | Cardboard | Oxidized butter
(E)-2-Nonenal | Cardboard | Soybean lecithin
(E)-2-Nonenal | Cardboard | Cardboard packaging
(E)-4,5-Epoxy-(E)-2-decenal | Metallic | Warmed over (beef)
(E)-4,5-Epoxy-(E)-2-decenal | Metallic | Oxidized soybean oil
(E)-4,5-Epoxy-(E)-2-decenal | Metallic | Butter
(E,Z)-2,6-Nonadienol | Metallic | Buttermilk
1-Octen-3-one | Metallic, mushroom | Butterfat
1-Octen-3-one | Beany | Rancid soybean oil
Hexanal | Green grass | Rancid soybean oil
Hexanal | Rancid | Warmed over (beef)
(E,E)-2,4-Decadienal | Deep fried | Rancid soybean oil
2,3-Diethyl-5-methylpyrazine | Roasty, earthy | Soybean lecithin
6-Nonenal | Cucumber, melon | Partially hydrogenated soy oil
(Z)-3-Hexenal | Fatty, fishy | Aged trout
(Z,Z)-3,6-Nonadienal | Fatty, fishy | Aged trout
5α-Androst-16-en- 3-one | Urine | Boar meat
Skatole | Fecal like | Boar meat, potato chips
Skatole | Medicinal | Beef
2-Furfuryl ethyl ether | Stale, astringent | Beer
3-Methyl-2-butene-1-thiol | Skunky | Beer (light-struck)
S-Methyl hexanethioate | Cabbagy, rubbery | Beer
4-Vinylsyringol | Old beer, tobacco, smoky | Beer
4-Vinylguaiacol | Medicinal, clove | Beer, wort
4-Vinylguaiacol | Rotten, old fruit | Orange juice, apple juice
4-Mercapto-4-methyl-2-pentanone | Cat urine, ribes | Beer
Methional | Worty | Beer (alcohol-free)
Methional | Cooked vegetables | Oxidized white wine, orange juice
Methional | Potato | UHT-processed milk
Dimethyl disulfide | Sunlight off-flavor | Milk, skim
(E)-1,3-Pentadiene | Kerosene | Cheese (sorbic acid)
2,4,5-Trimethyloxazole | Melon, kiwifruit | Dried sour cream
Tetradecanal | Sickening, aldehydic | Milk powder
β-Ionone | Haylike | Milk powder
Benzothiazole | Sulfuric, quinoline | Milk powder
2,6-Dimethylpyrazine | Cooked milk | UHT-processed milk
2-Ethyl-3-methylpyrazine | Cooked milk | UHT-processed milk
2-Aminoacetophenone | Gluey, glutinous | Milk powder, casein
2-Aminoacetophenone | Untypical aging (UTA) | White wine
3-Methyl-2, 4-nonanedione | Strawy, beany | Soybean oil (light-induced)
3-Methyl-2, 4-nonanedione | Haylike | Dried spinach, parsley
(Z)-1,5-Octadien-3-one | Fishy | Dried spinach, old fish
Bis(2-methyl-3-furyl)disulfide | Vitamin B1 odor | Thiamin degradation
4-Methyl-2-isopropylthiazole | Vitamin, cabbage | Orange juice (Vitamin B2)
Sotolon | Burnt, spicy | Citrus soft drink
2-Methyl-3-furanthiol | Aged flavor | Orange juice
(S)-(+)-Carvone | Woody, terpeny | Oxidized orange juice
The content is extracted from a book chapter authored by Dr. Robert MC Gorrin, professor of Oregon State University at Corvallis, Oregon. It is highly recommended that interested readers refer to the chapter and or the book.