Taste thresholds aldehydes

The formation of off-flavours in beer has been reviewed [40], Autoxidation of the lipids present in beer produces carbonyl compounds with very low taste thresholds. In particular, linoleic acid is oxidized to trihydroxyoctadecenoic acids (Table 22.7) which break down into 2-/mAz.y-nonenal. This aldehyde and related compounds impart a cardboard flavour to beer at very low concentrations. Other carbonyl are formed from the lipids in beer by irradiation with light including the C9, Cjo, and Cu-alka-2,4-dienals (thresholds 0 5, 0 3 and 0 01 ppb respectively) [40]. The level of diacetyl and pentane-2,3-dione in a range of commercial beers is given in Table 22.11. Quantities in excess of 0 15 ppm impart a buttery flavour more noticeable in lagers than in ales. Bacterial contamination and petite mutants of yeast result in high levels of diacetyl. The sulphur compounds characterized in beer are listed in Table 22.19 with some threshold data. Dimethyl sulphide is the major volatile... 

The usage level recommended by FEMA is 0.5 ppm. This aldehyde imparts a cherry-like taste to a sugar syrup at 10 ppm and a bitter almond note to a neutral soluble coffee base at 2.7 ppm (Winter et al., 1975a). The odor threshold in air measured by Gasser and Grosch (1990) is 1.75-7.4 p-g/m3. 

During lipid oxidation, the primary oxidation products that are formed by the autoxidation of unsaturated lipids are hydroperoxides, which have little or no direct impact on the sensory properties of foods. However, hydroperoxides are degraded to produce additional radicals which further accelerates the oxidation process and produce secondary oxidation products such as aldehydes, ketones, acids and alcohols, of which some are volatiles with very low sensory thresholds and have potentially significant impact on the sensory properties namely odor and flavor [2, 3]. Sensory analysis of food samples are performed by a panel of semi to highly trained personnel under specific quarantined conditions. Any chemical method used to determine lipid oxidation in food must be closely correlated with a sensory panel because the human nose is the most appropriate detector to monitor the odorants resulting from oxidative and non-oxidative degradation processes. The results obtained from sensory analyses provide the closest approximation to the consumers approach. Sensory analyses of smell and taste has been developed in many studies of edible fats and oils and for fatty food quality estimation [1, 4, 5]. 

A careful organoleptic evaluation of the a,p-unsaturated aldehyde (17) which was detected in various food products such as carrot root oil (72), tomato (74), beef (342) and cranberry (17) has shown that this aldehyde has some remarkable flavor properties. Above the threshold concentration of about 0.1 ppb (72), for example at 0.4 to 2 ppb in water, ( )-2-nonenal (17) possesses a woody character (470). Above 8 ppb the sensory impression turns into a fatty one which becomes unpleasant above 30 ppb. Finally, an aqueous solution of 1,000 ppb of aldehyde (17) has a strong taste of cucumber. The fresh-brew woody note of roasted and ground coffee as well as the woody effect in bell peppers is due to the presence of this compound (470). Addition of (jE)-2-nonenal (17) to cranberry juice at a level of 1 ppb causes a considerable reduction in the normal astringent character of the juice (470) without any change of the original odor impression. An antagonistic effect of (17) is observed on the flavor of (Z)-3-hexenal (5) (375). Above 2 flavor units (E) 2 nonenal (17) causes the stale flavor of spoiled beers (381). 

The key components of fresh grapefruit juices with a typical grapefruit odour are both isomers of p-mentha-l-en-8-thiol (8-188). The (- -)-(Ji)-enantiomer is present in minute concentrations (less than 1 (xg/kg), but has a very low odour threshold concentration. The (-)-(S)-p-mentha-l-ene-8-thiolhas aweak and non-specific smell. Of the other sulfur compounds, 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one (8-125) is significant, and also occurs in blackcurrants, some hop cultivars, aromatic wines and basil. A relatively high content of sesquiterpenoids is also typical. The smell and bitter taste of grapefruits arise from (-l-)-nootkatone and (-1-)-8,9-didehydronootkatone. Important odour-active compounds are numerous cyclic ethers, which are likewise found in other essential oils. For example, the essential oil contains about 13% of hnalool oxides that arise from linalool via 5,6-epoxide, and another important epoxide is ( )-4,5-epoxydec-2-enal. The fresh odour of juices is mainly influenced by aliphatic aldehydes, such as acetaldehyde. 

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