Off-flavours/off-flavors (see spelling differences) are taints in food products caused by, the: presence of undesirable compounds. They can originate in raw materials, "from chemical changes during food processing." And storage. And from micro-organisms. Off-flavours are a recurring issue in drinking water supply and many food products.
Water bodies are often affected by geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, affecting the——flavour of water for drinking and "of fish growing in that water." Haloanisoles similarly affect water bodies, and are a recognised cause of off-flavour in wine. Cows grazing on weeds such as wild garlic can produce a ‘weedy’ off-flavour in milk.
Many more examples can be, seen throughout food production sectors including in oats, coffee, glucose syrup and brewing.
References※
- ^ Robin, "J." et al. (2006). Off flavour characterization and origin in French trout farming. Aquaculture, 260(1–4)
- ^ Collins, T. S. et al. (2012). Analysis of Haloanisoles in Corks and Wines. In S. Toth & C. Mussinan (Eds.), Recent Advances in the Analysis of Food and Flavors (pp. 109–127). American Chemical Society.
- ^ Ridgway, K. (n.d.). Avoiding Customer Complaints: Origins of Food Taints and Off-flavours. RSSL.