off-flavors
Undesirable flavor notes
Off-flavors are unwanted tastes in food or drink that shouldn't be there—staleness in beer, mustiness in wine, rancidity in cooking oil.
The term is standard in food science and quality control, where identifying off-flavors helps diagnose spoilage, contamination, or processing errors: The batch was rejected due to off-flavors from oxidation.
Sharp, unpleasant taste or feeling
- sournessAcidic taste quality
- astringencyDrying, puckering quality
- metallicResembling ore-based elements
- mustinessStale, damp odor
harshness · earthiness · grassiness · staleness · soapy · cardboard · papery · burnt
Buttery flavoring compound
- acetaldehydeSimplest two-carbon aldehyde
- phenolicOf hydroxybenzene compounds
- autolysisCell's enzymatic self-destruction
- lightstruckSpoiled by light exposure
skunky · oxidation · cardboard · papery · metallic · astringency · butyric · lactic
Decomposed fat's quality
- putridDecomposed and foul-smelling
- sourSharp, biting taste
- moldyCovered in fungal growth
- staleNo longer fresh
fermented · curdled · decomposed · rotting · overripe · musty · funky · gamey
Simplest two-carbon aldehyde
- diacetylButtery flavoring compound
- phenolicOf hydroxybenzene compounds
- solventDissolving liquid or financially stable
- plasticCapable of being molded
vinyl · styrene · benzene · formaldehyde · chlorine · sulfuric · petroleum · rubbery
Make impure
- pesticide residueChemicals left on sprayed plants
- heavy metalsDense metallic environmental contaminants
- microbialOf microscopic organisms
- bacterialOf or from germs
environmental · cross-contamination · TCA · light damage · adulteration · foreign matter
bitterness
Sharp, unpleasant taste or feeling
- sournessAcidic taste quality
- astringencyDrying, puckering quality
- metallicResembling ore-based elements
mustiness · harshness · earthiness · grassiness · staleness · soapy · cardboard · papery · burnt · scorched
diacetyl
Buttery flavoring compound
- acetaldehydeSimplest two-carbon aldehyde
- phenolicOf hydroxybenzene compounds
- autolysisCell's enzymatic self-destruction
lightstruck · skunky · oxidation · cardboard · papery · metallic · astringency · butyric · lactic · acetic
rancid
Decomposed fat's quality
stale · fermented · curdled · decomposed · rotting · overripe · musty · funky · gamey · fishy
acetaldehyde
Simplest two-carbon aldehyde
- diacetylButtery flavoring compound
- phenolicOf hydroxybenzene compounds
- solventDissolving liquid or financially stable
plastic · vinyl · styrene · benzene · formaldehyde · chlorine · sulfuric · petroleum · rubbery · medicinal
taint
Make impure
- pesticide residueChemicals left on sprayed plants
- heavy metalsDense metallic environmental contaminants
- microbialOf microscopic organisms
bacterial · environmental · cross-contamination · TCA · light damage · adulteration · foreign matter
- food spoilagerot, mold growth, spoilage, rancidity, staleness
- brewingwort, mash, brewery, hops, malt
- Brewing Yeastyeast, wild yeast, dry yeast, fermentation, pitching
- oxylipinsprostaglandins
off-flavorsdelicious
Highly pleasing to taste
palatable · deliciousness · appetizing · palatability · savory
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