Musty/earthy off-flavor in aquatic animals: impact, causes, and solutions

Abstract

Musty/earthy off- fl avor in aquatic animals has been reported in aquatic organism worldwide. Although there is no negative effect on human health, it causes an unacceptablefor consumer consumption. The purpose of this article is to review some of the available literature relating tomusty/earthy off- fl avor in aquatic animals. Geosmin (GSM) and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) are two major off- fl avor compounds.These compounds are caused by metabolites produced by blue-green algae including Anabaena sp., Oscillatoria sp., Lyngbya sp., Symploca sp., Phormidium sp., andAphanizomenonsp. and some bacteria such as Streptomyces. Fish with high fat content or raised in earthen ponds with enriched algae and bacteria mentioned earlier increase in risk of off- fl avor problem. The in fl uences of temperature, season, and climate change had been also discussed.Finally, the various practical methods for undesirable fl avor were described. This information will be bene fi cial for fi sh farmers to control an off- fl avor problem.