Taints and Off-flavours in Food (Woodhead Publishing in Food Science and Technology)

Off-flavours and taints are defined as unpleasant odours or tastes, the first resulting from the natural deterioration of a food, the second from its contamination by some other chemical. This important collection describes some of the most important causes of taints and off-flavours and how they can be identified and dealt with. First, it details sensory and instrumental methods for detecting and analysing taints and off-flavours. Then it examines two of the most common causes of taints: packaging and residues from cleaning and disinfection and discusses the various causes of off-flavours, from those caused by microbial action and oxidation to those caused by the Maillard reaction and interactions between food components. Part 1 of this important collection reviews the major causes of taints and off-flavours, from oxidative rancidity and microbiologically-derived off-flavours, to packaging materials as a source of taints. Part 2 of the book discusses the range of techniques for detecting taints and off-flavours.