Cooked Vegetable Flavour Standard

WHAT IS COOKED VEGETABLE FLAVOUR?
Cooked Vegetable Flavour refers to a sulphurous, boiled-vegetable-like note that can appear in beverages such as beer, wine, and soft drinks. It’s often described as similar to boiled cauliflower, cabbage, or overcooked greens.

While a light cooked vegetable note may naturally occur during fermentation, excessive levels are considered an off-flavour, negatively affecting the aroma, taste, and overall quality of the product.

WHAT CAUSES COOKED VEGETABLE OFF-FLAVOUR?
The cause of cooked vegetable flavour varies depending on the type of beverage:

In alcoholic beverages:
It’s commonly produced through yeast fermentation, where sulphur-containing compounds such as dimethyl sulphide (DMS) or dimethyl disulphide (DMDS) are formed.

In non-alcoholic beverages:
It may result from:

• Contaminants in raw sugar or syrups
• Bacterial or wild yeast contamination
• Sugar breakdown and product ageing

When uncontrolled, these sulphur notes can dominate the sensory profile, creating a cooked vegetable off-flavour that reduces product appeal.

USING THE COOKED VEGETABLE FLAVOUR STANDARD FOR SENSORY TRAINING
FlavorActiV’s Cooked Vegetable Flavour Standard is an expertly calibrated reference used to train and assess sensory panels in detecting cooked or sulphurous flavours.

By incorporating this standard into sensory training, beverage professionals can:

• Accurately identify and quantify cooked vegetable notes
• Distinguish between sulphur-based off-flavours such as DMS and DMDS
• Maintain flavour consistency across production batches
• Ensure product quality through improved sensory accuracy

This flavour standard is widely adopted in brewing, soft drinks, and food manufacturing industries to strengthen quality control and sensory evaluation programs.

WHAT ARE THE PROFESSIONAL APPLICATIONS OF THE COOKED VEGETABLE FLAVOUR STANDARD?
The Cooked Vegetable Flavour Standard is essential for professionals involved in:

• Brewing and fermentation quality control
• Soft drink production and flavour assurance
• Sensory science and product development
• Academic or technical flavour training programs

It supports organisations in building skilled tasting teams capable of recognising subtle flavour differences before they affect consumers.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Beer Flavour Wheel Number: 0730
• Recommended flavour standard / sensory reference standard of: the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) and the European Brewing Chemists (EBC)
• Available for: Beer, cider, wine, soft drinks, and food applications

Ensure your sensory team can distinguish the flavour of cooked vegetables from similar sulphur compounds.

Contact FlavorActiV today to order or learn how our sensory standards can enhance your quality assurance program.