We are experienced in the analysis of taints and off-flavours in foods, drinks and other products.
Tainting compounds will often cause an unpleasant taste and/or odour that can severely affect the organoleptic properties of the product, rendering it unpalatable to your consumer. These tainting compounds are caused by contamination from an external source such as a component of the packaging or contamination from the environment in which the product is stored. Investigations can be very challenging as taints will often be present at extremely
low levels.
Off-flavours may arise from internal changes, such as degradation caused by:
- Exposure to light
- Enzymic activity
- Microbiological activity
Our Service
- We are one of the leading analytical laboratories in the world for taint and off-flavour identification
- We are experts in evaluating the product, and identifying the potential source and cause of taints using a combination of sensory evaluation and analytical techniques.
- Our panel of experienced sensory assessors are sensitive to a broad range of taints and off-flavours.
- We use a variety of extraction techniques to isolate the contaminant and use GC-MS instrumentation to analyse and identify the compounds responsible
Other Services
- Profiling of flavours and fragrances
- Analysis of volatile contaminants
Our Flavour and Trace analysis services are offered under the Emergency Response Service (ERS).