The Drinking Water Taste and Odor Wheel for the Millennium: Beyond Geosmin and 2-Methylisoborneol

Abstract

The “Taste and Odor Wheel” developed over the last 15 years has been updated to include new compounds identified in the eight classes of odorants, four tastes, and one mouth feel/nose feel category. Over the last 10 years, other types of odors have been identified, in addition to chlorinous and ozonous odors of disinfectants, the earthy compound geosmin, and the musty compound 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB). Sophisticated instrumental analysis, e.g., gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and sensory analysis, e.g., flavor-profile analysis (FPA), have been successfully combined with sensory GC to identify various odorants.