Odor and Flavor Responses to Additives in Edible Oils 1
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2988 Reprinted from the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICA.." OIL CHEMISTS' SOCIETY, Vol. 48, No.9, Pages: 495-498 (1971) "Purchased by U.S. Department of Agriculture for Official Use." Odor and Flavor Responses to Additives in Edible Oils 1 C.D. EVANS, HELEN A. MOSER and G.R. LIST, Northern Regional Research LaboratorY,2 Peoria, Illinois 61604 ABSTRACT pounds, including unsaturated esters, ketones, alcohols and The odor threshold was determined for a series of hydrocarbons, arose from hydroperoxide breakdown and unsaturated ketones, secondary alcohols, hydro could contribute to an autoxidized flavor. In the past carbons and substituted furans added to bland edible decade both vinyl amyl ketone and vinyl ethyl ketone oil. Odor thresholds were taken as the point where (9-11) and their alcohol counterparts (5,9,12) have been 50% of a 15- to 18-member taste panel could detect isolated from autoxidized fats and shown to contribute an odor difference from the control oil. These undesirable flavor components. additives are oxidative products of fats, but the Although various hydrocarbons have been isolated from concentrations investigated were far below any level autoxidized and irradiated fats, they reportedly have associated with an identifying odor or taste of the generally weak flavors. Forss (3) indicates contamination additive per se. Odor, rather than flavor, was selected with alcohols or mercaptans as the source of hydrocarbon as the starting basis because of greater acuity and ease flavor. Smouse et al. (13) demonstrated that I-decyne was a of handling a large number of samples with less taster major component in the volatile products of slightly fatigue. Oil samples containing additive concentra oxidized soybean oil. This alkyne, they stated, has a tions near the odor threshold levels were evaluated by threshold of 0.1 ppm. The presence of alkynes and flavor score and flavor descriptions. Taste panel unsaturated hydrocarbons in autoxidized and irradiated fats members were experienced oil tasters and were has been recorded by various investigators (14-18). allowed free choice in selecting terms to describe the The formation of alkadienes upon irradiation of beef flavor quality of the oil samples. The propyl and and pork fat has been reported by Champagne and Nawar butyl members of the homologous series of vinyl (14). They indicated that the l-alkenes were the most ketones had the lowest odor thresholds, whereas the highly odorous compounds of the series of alkane, alkene, difference in odor threshold was small between alkyne and diene hydrocarbons investigated. homologs in the unsaturated alcohols and in the 2 Chang and coworkers (19,20) isolated pentyl furan from substituted furans. Vinyl propyl ketone, vinyl propyl oxidized soybean oil. They believe that this substance carbinol (1-hexen-3-01) and 2-propyl furan had odor imparts the characteristic beany odor and flavor reminis thresholds of 0.005, 0.5 and 6 ppm, respectively. cent of "reverted" soybean oil at concentrations of I to 10 Odor thresholds of the unsaturated hydrocarbons are ppm. markedly lower than those of the saturated isologs. Since information on how nonaldehydic volatile com The odor of nonane can be detected at 650 ppm. ponents contribute to flavor is confusing and contradictory, However, at 1000 ppm it cannot be tasted and oils we undertook a study to evaluate carefully the odor containing it were scored equal to the control oil. threshold of numerous compounds, other than aldehydes, I-Nonene, l-nonyne and other tested C-9 unsaturated that are products of fat autoxidation. hydrocarbons, including a number of dienes, have odor thresholds of about 10 ppm. The hydrocarbons EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES l-hexyne, l-nonyne and l-decyne had odor thresh olds of 0.2,5 and 4 ppm, respectively. Chemicals of the highest purity available were obtained from several sources (Table 0. The purity was checked by gas chromatography and all materials proved to be 98% INTRODUCTION pure or better. A number of the diene samples were When it comes to taste and odor sensations, we are all purchased as special synthesis products. Some of the distinct individualists. Only through experience with food samples of vinyl and allyl ketones and their corresponding and our environment do we gain and acquire a knowledge alcohols were synthesized in our own laboratory by the of taste and smell. The classification of flavor is strictly a procedures of Brown and Garg (21) and of Crabalona (22). descriptive terminology based on an individual's perception The method of Amoore (23) and that of Patton and and memory. Most individuals have acute odor perception, Josephson (24) were investigated as a technique to deter as well as the ability to identify different aromas. Off mine the odor threshold of several compounds dissolved in flavors in bland foods, for example, are often described in freshly deodorized cottonseed salad oil. With a 20-member terms of distinctive odors rather than distinctive tastes. panel the time involved with Amoore's method was Descriptive terminology characterizing off-flavored fats as excessive although it will give a more reproducible and cardboardy, trainy, painty, skunky and rubbery illustrates accurate threshold because of its chance probability of 1 in the reliance on odor memory. Although odor perception 10. By modifying Patton and Josephson's method slightly has generally been regarded as being more sensitive than in the plotting of taster results, the greater accuracy of taste, we and others (1,2) found that when simple odorous Amoore's method was partially attained. Our modified compounds are added to fats, the taste threshold is equal to procedure consists of presenting each taster with five or greater than the individual's odor perception. samples, in random order, in which the minimum concen The contribution of saturated and unsaturated aldehydes tration difference between samples is twofold. The geo to off-flavor characteristics of fats has been well established metric scale of concentration (binary dilution) was carried by many investigators (3-6). Badings (7) in his review in out in all sets of dilutions. Samples (7.5 m!) of cottonseed 1960 states that ketones are unimportant in their contribu oil containing the appropriate concentrations of the odor tion to oxidation off-flavors. Later, Evans (8), discussing ant were presented to the taster in 150 ml beakers covered autoxidation of fats, indicated that many volatile com- with watch glasses. The samples were warmed and served at 55 C by placing the five beakers in an aluminum block 1Presented at the AOeS Meeting, New Orleans, April 1970. heated on a thermostatically controlled hot plate. Usually 2No. Market. Nutr. Res. Div., ARS, USDA. one sample served as a blank, but any number of blanks 495 496 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN OIL CHEMISTS' SOCIETY VOL. 48 may be used. In a preliminary run if the highest concentra ences. Threshold differences are more likely to result from tion was not detected by 80% of the panel, tests with higher taster variability and various methodologies than from concentrations were made. After the concentration range minor impurities in the standards. Guadagni et al. (25) was established, the tests were repeated to establish an report that sniffing a water solution of nonanal was a average threshold value, i.e., the point where 50% of the relatively insensitive method compared to their squirt bottle panel could detect the additive. In plotting the correct method with which they attained a threshold of 1 vs. 98 responses to 0 btain the average threshold value, only results ppb from sniffing. Since our odor studies were concerned were used of tasters who had correctly identified all the with edible oil evaluations, panel methodology was the higher concentration samples. Thus the results of a taster same in both odor and taste tests. who correctly identified the presence of the substance at Table I shows the odor detection threshold for a series concentrations of 16, 8 and 2 ppm but missed 4 and 0 of hydrocarbons, substituted furans, unsaturated ketones parts, would be used only in calculating the percentage and alcohols. Because thresholds of saturated aliphatic correct for 16 and 8 ppm. Odor thresholds are reported as hydrocarbons range about 1000 ppm, these hydrocarbons the average value of two to four complete panel evalua were not a part of our study. Unsaturation confers a high tions. odor potential to aliphatic hydrocarbons. Detection limits are lower by an order of two to three magnitudes from the RESULTS AND DISCUSSION saturated analogs. A triple bond lowers the threshold more The method used to determine the sensitivity threshold than a double bond and from limited data the difference may be important and could account for literature differ- can be as much as one order of magnitude. Sometimes, dienes have had significantly lower thresholds than mono TABLE I enes of the same carbon chain length. No consistent effect of conjugation, nonconjugation or terminal position of the Detection Odor Threshold of Additives to Cottonseed Oil double bonds could be observed with the limited number of samples investigated. In the series of 2,4-conjugated hexa Threshold,a Source of Compound ppm compoundb dienes, the cis,cis-geometrical isomer could be detected at 1/1 0 the concentration of either the cis,trans- or the Hydrocarbons trans, trans-isomer. .AJkanes Odor thresholds of less than 1 ppm are indicated for a 650 5 Nonane number of hydrocarbons, and apparently the six-carbon .AJkenes chain homolog has the lowest threshold in each series. I-Hexene 0.02 5 1-0ctene 2 5 Trace amounts of unsaturated hydrocarbons near these I-Nonene 9 5 threshold levels could modify the flavor response for any I-Decene 7 5 fat or fatty food where they may be present. Alkynes Odor thresholds of 2-substituted furans are, in general, I-Pentyne 0.7 4 comparable to the odor threshold levels of unsaturated I-Hexyne 0.2 4 hydrocarbons.