Abstract
<jats:p>This study investigated why sake, a fermented rice beverage, generates less metallic fishy odor than beer when paired with dried squid (surume). Sensory evaluation by 13 panelists showed a strong metallic odor in beer-surume pairings but a weak odor in sake-surume pairings. Gas chromatography-olfactometry identified 1-octen-3-one, (Z)-1,5-octadien-3-one, and trans-4,5-epoxy-2(E)-decenal as metallic odorants, with the beer-sake difference mainly attributable to (Z)-1,5-octadien-3-one. To quantify this trace compound, a method combining stir bar sorptive extraction, post-extraction oxime derivatization with o-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine, and GC-MS/MS with negative chemical ionization was developed. The limits of quantification were 0.1 ng/L in beer and 0.2 ng/L in sake. Application to 10 commercial beers and 7 commercial sakes mixed with surume showed that formation of (Z)-1,5-octadien-3-one was markedly lower in sake, averaging 7.1-fold lower than in beer. These results provide a flavor-chemical basis for the favorable pairing of sake with dried seafood.</jats:p>