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# Off-Flavor Impact Compounds in Foods and Beverages
- URL: https://www.flavorist.com/off-flavor-impact-compounds-in-foods-and-beverages/
- Published: 2025-11-09T17:56:16.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-09T17:57:24.000Z
- Author: Editor

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. ](https://foodsci.oregonstate.edu/users/robert-mc-gorrin?ref=flavorist.com)It is highly recommended that interested readers refer to the chapter and or the book.

[Reference: Mc Gorrin, R. J. (2012). Character-impact Flavor and Off-Flavor Compounds in Foods. In R. Marsili (Ed.), Flavor, Fragrance, and Odor Analysis, Second Edition (pp. 207–262). CRC Press.](https://www.routledge.com/Flavor-Fragrance-and-Odor-Analysis/Marsili/p/book/9780429109072?ref=flavorist.com)