Para-cresol is an aromatic compound with a strong horse stable-like odor. It contributes to the off-flavor of some foods, but it is also detectable as a characteristic odorant in whiskey and tobacco, as well as in the urine of various mammals.
Para-cresol is an aromatic compound with a strong horse stable-like odor. It contributes to the off-flavor of some foods, but it is also detectable as a characteristic odorant in whiskey and tobacco, as well as in the urine of various mammals.
A research team led by the Leibniz Institute of Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has now discovered which odorant receptor humans use to perceive para-cresol. The work is published in the journal Food Chemistry.
Para-cresol (4-methylphenol) is formed during the microbial degradation of certain amino acids, but also during thermal degradation processes. As a result, it is present in various foods, where it can contribute to off-flavors in the aroma of white pepper, cocoa, rapeseed or olive oil, among others. In addition, para-cresol has long been known to attract insects such as mosquitoes, tsetse flies and horseflies, as well as horses and cattle.
A research team led by Dietmar Krautwurst from the Leibniz Institute in Freising has now succeeded for the first time in identifying the human odorant receptor for para-cresol using a cellular test system.
