ABSTRACT
The aroma of fish is an important quality indicator and is often the sole basis for product acceptance or rejection (1). For many people, the term “fishy” carries a negative connotation and is generally associated with the strong and objection able aroma of stale or rancid fish. This term also has been used in sensory analy sis to describe an element of the overall odor associated with stale, stored, or rancid lipid-containing foods (2, 3). Use of the term “fishy,” however, to describe or differentiate fish aromas should be avoided since fresh fish and stored fish can have distinctly different aroma attributes. That is, the green, planty, and melon like aroma of fresh fish is different than that of frozen-stored fish, which may de velop stale and rancid notes.
