Measurement of thresholds for reference compounds for the sensory profiling of Sake ( Part 1 )

The sensory profiling of Sake is very important for research and product analysis. However, a systematic flavor terminology for sake has not been defined yet. Objective reference standards are a prerequisite for improved sensory profiling. Thus, we selected 20 compounds as potential reference standards for sake aroma characteristics. In these studies reported here, a panel from our institute determined detection and recognition thresholds for 10 compounds -acetaldehyde, isovaleraldehyde, benzaldehyde, diacetyl, furfural, sotolon, ethyl mercaptan, methyl sulfide, methyl trisulfide and 2,4,6trichloroanisole--dissolved in sake using a forced-choice ascending concentration series method of limits (ASTM, E 679-91). Recognition thresholds of 90% were calculated for evaluation of the perception of reference compounds. Detection threshold values of isovaleraldehyde and sotolon were over 10-fold lower than these reported values.