Smoky Flavour Standard

What is a Smoky Flavour?

A smoky flavour is a distinctive taste and aroma characteristic that resembles smoke, often described as having notes of smoked meats, smoked herring, or guaiacol. In sensory analysis, the smoky flavour standard serves as a benchmark reference tool used to train professional tasters and sensory panels to identify and evaluate smoky notes in food and beverages accurately.

What Causes Smoky Flavour?

Smoky flavours develop through several mechanisms :

In Alcoholic Beverages :
– Contact with raw materials exposed to smoke (grains, malts during the malting process)
– Direct contamination of finished products during improper storage
– Microbial contamination where bacteria and yeast metabolise sugars to generate guaiacol

In Non-Alcoholic Beverages :
– Microbial contamination, particularly common in high-sugar beverages and juices
– Bacterial and yeast metabolism of sugars produces guaiacol compounds

The smoky flavour introduces an undesirable off-flavour reminiscent of smoked meats or herring, which can significantly impact product quality and consumer acceptance.

Using the Smoky Flavour Standard for Sensory Training

The smoky flavour standard is an essential tool for sensory training programs. It helps professional tasters :

– Calibrate their senses to recognise authentic smoky characteristics
– Distinguish smoky notes from similar flavours like caramel, woody, or burnt notes
– Develop consistent evaluation skills across sensory panels
– Identify contamination levels in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
– Maintain quality control standards in production environments

This standardised reference ensures consistency in sensory evaluation and helps prevent confusion with other flavour profiles.

How to Recognise Smoky Flavour : Sensory Terms

Guaiacol – The main chemical compound responsible for smoky characteristics
Smoked meats – Resembling cured or smoked meat products
Smoked herring – Fish-like smoky notes, often considered an off-flavour

What are the Professional Applications of the Smoky Flavour Standard?

This flavour standard has particular value in these professional applications :

– Brewmasters and beer tasters use it to identify and assess specific smoky defects that may occur due to smoke-contaminated grains, malts, or improper storage conditions in their products.
– Quality control professionals in the beverage industry rely on it to maintain product standards and detect contamination issues that could introduce unwanted smoky characteristics.
– Sensory analysts utilise it for flavour evaluation of high-sugar beverages, juices, and other products where microbial metabolism can generate guaiacol compounds, ensuring quality consistency and early detection of smoky off-flavours.

Other Information

– Beer Flavour Wheel Number : 0423
– Flavour level seen : This smoky flavour taint can occur at 10 – 400 mg / l

Recommended flavour standard / sensory reference standard of : the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) and the European Brewing Chemists (EBC)