Odor Components Research Articles

A Comparison of Odor and Taste Components in Five Types of Niboshi Dashi

A Comparison of Odor and Taste Components in Five Types of Niboshi Dashi

Proteolysis and volatile profile in the Algerian traditional Bouhezza cheese made using raw goat’s milk

ABSTRACTBouhezza is an Algerian cheese, which is ripened in a goat-skin bag, called Chekoua. The aim of the study was to determine the protein profiles and aromatics, which contribute to sensory properties of Bouhezza cheese. The chemical composition, proteolysis, and volatile profile have been carried out in cheese made from raw goat milk. The results showed that, the dry matter ranged from 23.07 to 51.95%, the fat-in-dry matter ranged from 10.58 to 31.77%, and the protein ranged from 28.27 to 42.09%. Water-soluble and 12% trichloroacetic acid-soluble nitrogen fractions decreased at the beginning of the ripening process and then they increased until the end of ripening. The reverse phase-high-performance liquid chromatography peptide profiles of the cheese showed the modifications occurred during the ripening process. The volatile compounds showed a diversity of odorous components which contribute to give to the cheese its particular organoleptic. There were 109 compounds identified in Bouhezza cheese. Carboxylic acids, esters, and alcohols were the main classes of the volatile components in the cheese.

Chemical properties of liquid swine manure for fermentation step in public livestock recycling center

The nutrients in livestock manure produced during fermentation processes in public livestock recycling centers are used as fertilizers. However, the large amounts of swine manure produced in intensive livestock farms can be a nonpoint source of pollution. In this experiment, we investigated the chemical properties, inorganic components, and heavy metal contents in 101 samples of liquid swine manure collected from 28 public livestock recycling centers throughout the nation. Results showed that the average pH of the samples was alkaline (pH range 5.18 to 9.54), and their maximum EC was <TEX>$53.2dS\;m^{-1}$</TEX>. The amounts of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were in the range of 1000 - 2000 and <TEX>$200-800mg\;L^{-1}$</TEX> while potassium, which constituted 47% of the total inorganic ions recovered from the liquid swine manure, amounted to <TEX>$1500mg\;L^{-1}$</TEX>. The most distinctive heavy metals recovered from the liquid swine manure were copper and zinc although the amounts of both heavy metals were much lesser than those of the standards as livestock liquid fertilizer set by the Rural Development Administration. On the other hand, the amount of nitrogen decreased rapidly with an increasing fermentation period from immature to mature, assumed to be lost as volatile compounds, such as ammonia, which are the major odor components during the fermentation process.

A method for psychophysical screening of odorants for use in city gas based on olfactory adaptation tolerance

In many developed nations, natural gas (so-called city gas) is supplied as a utility for cooking, heating, and hot-water supply. Because natural gas is odorless, city gas must be odorized so that it can be detected in the event of a leak. Although high adaptation tolerance is an important criterion for city gas odorants, there is yet no standard method of evaluating the psychophysical suitability of new candidate odorants in terms of olfactory adaptation. In order to address this situation, we developed a method for psychophysical screening of new candidate odorants for use in city gas based on adaptation tolerance. We used the main component of the conventional city gas odor (tertbutylmercaptan, TBM) and six new candidate odorants: cyclohexene (CH), ethyl isobutyrate (EI), isovaleric acid (IVA), 2-hexene (HEX), 1,5-cyclooctadiene (COD), and 1-methylpyrrolidine (MEP). Participants evaluated the perceived intensity of a continuously presented odor at a fixed concentration. After the time-intensity curves were quantitatively classified into fast or slow adaptation patterns, we compared the number of intensity curves classified into each pattern between TBM and each new odorant. Our results revealed that HEX has a significantly higher adaptation tolerance than TBM, and that the other five new candidate odorants were almost equivalent to TBM in terms of adaptation tolerance. We concluded that all of the new candidate odorants used in this study passed the psychophysical screen based on adaptation tolerance, and are therefore suitable for use in city gas.

Olfactory Sensitivity for the Mammalian Blood Odor Component Trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal in CD-1 Mice

Using a conditioning paradigm and an automated olfactometer, we investigated the olfactory sensitivity of CD-1 mice for the mammalian blood odor component trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal. We found that two of the animals significantly discriminated concentrations down to 3.0 ppt (parts per trillion) from the solvent, and three animals even successfully detected dilutions as low as 0.3 ppt. Intraspecific comparisons between the olfactory detection thresholds obtained here with those obtained in earlier studies with other odorants show that mice are extraordinarily sensitive to this blood odor component. Interspecific comparisons of olfactory detection thresholds show that human subjects are even more sensitive to trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal than the mice tested here. Both intra- and inter-specific comparisons suggest that neither neuroanatomical properties such as the size of the olfactory epithelium, the total number of olfactory receptor neurons, or the size of olfactory brain structures, nor genetic properties such as the number of functional olfactory receptor genes or the proportion of functional relative to the total number of olfactory receptor genes allow us to reliably predict a species' olfactory sensitivity. In contrast, the results support the notion that the behavioral relevance of an odorant rather than neuroanatomical or genetic properties may determine a species' olfactory sensitivity.

Host Habitat Volatiles Enhance the Olfactory Response of the Larval Parasitoid Holepyris sylvanidis to Specifically Host-Associated Cues.

Host foraging of parasitic wasps attacking insects living in stored food may be guided by volatile cues emanating from these postharvest products. However, little knowledge is available as to how habitat odor released from noninfested stored food affects the parasitoid's response to host-specific chemicals. In this study, we investigated the impact of wheat grist odor on the olfactory host search by the ectoparasitoid Holepyris sylvanidis This parasitoid attacks larvae of the confused flour beetle Tribolium confusum, a common pest of grain products. Olfactometer bioassays showed that female H. sylvanidis were attracted by volatiles released from host larval feces, whereas odor of noninfested wheat grist was neither attractive nor did it mask the host-indicating cues. We analyzed the odor of host larval feces and wheat grist by coupled gaschromatography-mass spectrometry and recorded the parasitoid's electroantennographic (EAG) responses to the detected volatiles. Two specifically host-associated components of the fecal odor, (E)-2-nonenal and 1-pentadecene, elicited strong EAG responses. Both components were attractive when tested individually, but less than larval feces. Attraction of parasitoids to these host-specific key compounds was enhanced by addition of (i) noninfested habitat substrate odor or (ii) a blend of 3 EAG-active (but not behaviorally active) volatiles that had been identified in odor of noninfested grist (benzaldehyde, 1-tetradecene, 1-hexadecene), but were also detected in the host fecal odor. The impact of these volatiles ubiquitously released in a food store by noninfested habitat substrate on the parasitoid's orientation to host-specific volatile cues is discussed.

A Study on Development of High Functional Materials Producing Technique using By-products from Skate Processing (1) - Development of Chondroitin Sulfate Materials using Skate Cartilages

For the purpose of reuse the wasted by-products from the skate process to the health functional food or medicinal material, chondroitin sulfate was extracted from the skate cartilage with the method of hydrolysis with protease enzyme, and the contents of chondroitin sulfate and hydrolyzed protein were measured qualitatively and quantitatively. The effects of chondroitin sulfate on body weight or liver weight changes, hepatotoxicity elimination and anti-inflammatory actions were measured from in vivo test with feed-treated mice. From the hydrolytic extraction of skate cartilage with the mixture of 1% alcalase and 1% protease for 4 hours, the extraction yield of chondroitin sulfate was about 32.55%. The content and molecular weight of chondroitin sulfate was 26.63% and ., respectively and the content ratio of chondroitin sulfate to protein was measured to 1 to 2.76 with gel permeation chromatography. For the odor component, trimethylamine decreased about 30% but almost not ammonia from chondroitin sulfate with the treatment of activated carbon. From the feeding chondroitin sulfate to mice, the control effect of body and liver weights decrease was measured, anti-inflammatory action and hepatotoxicity elimination action were also measured. From these results, process operation conditions for manufacturing of chondroitin sulfate were suggested.

Influence of pharmacological manipulations of NMDA and cholinergic receptors on working versus reference memory in a dual component odor span task

Developed as a tool to assess working memory capacity in rodents, the odor span task (OST) has significant potential to advance drug discovery in animal models of psychiatric disorders. Prior investigations indicate OST performance is impaired by systemic administration of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDA-r) antagonists and is sensitive to cholinergic manipulations. The present study sought to determine whether an impairment in OST performance can be produced by systemic administration of the competitive NMDA-r antagonist 3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP; 3, 10, 17 mg/kg i.p.) in a unique dual-component variant of the OST, and whether this impairment is ameliorated by nicotine (0.75 mg/kg i.p.). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to asymptotic level of performance on a 24-trial two-comparison incrementing nonmatching to sample OST. In addition, rats were administered a two-comparison olfactory reference memory (RM) task, which was integrated into the OST. The RM task provided an assessment of the effects of drug administration on global behavioral measures, long-term memory and motivation. Several measures of working memory (span, longest run, and accuracy) were dose dependently impaired by CPP without adversely affecting RM. Analysis of drug effects across trial blocks demonstrated a significant impairment of performance even at low memory loads, suggesting a CPP-induced deficit of olfactory short-term memory that is not load-dependent. Although nicotine did not ameliorate CPP-induced impairments in span or accuracy, it did block the impairment in longest run produced by the 10 mg/kg dose of CPP. Overall, our results indicate that performance in our 24 odor two-comparison OST is capacity dependent and that CPP impaired OST working, but not reference, memory.

Bees eavesdrop upon informative and persistent signal compounds in alarm pheromones.

Pollinators such as bees provide a critical ecosystem service that can be impaired by information about predation. We provide the first evidence for olfactory eavesdropping and avoidance of heterospecific alarm signals, alarm pheromones, at food sources in bees. We predicted that foragers could eavesdrop upon heterospecific alarm pheromones, and would detect and avoid conspicuous individual pheromone compounds, defined by abundance and their ability to persist. We show that Apis cerana foragers avoid the distinctive alarm pheromones of A. dorsata and A. mellifera, species that share the same floral resources and predators. We next examined responses to individual alarm pheromone compounds. Apis cerana foragers avoided isopentyl acetate (IPA), which is found in all three species and is the most abundant and volatile of the tested compounds. Interestingly, A. cerana also avoided an odor component, gamma-octanoic lactone (GOL), which is >150-fold less volatile than IPA. Chemical analyses confirmed that GOL is only present in A. dorsata, not in A. cerana. Electroantennogram (EAG) recordings revealed that A. cerana antennae are 10-fold more sensitive to GOL than to other tested compounds. Thus, the eavesdropping strategy is shaped by signal conspicuousness (abundance and commonality) and signal persistence (volatility).

Does larval food affect cuticular profiles and recognition in eusocial bees? a test on Scaptotrigona gynes (Hymenoptera: Meliponini)

The relative contributions of heritable and environmentally acquired components of colony odor towards individual recognition are scarcely known in social insects. Larval food may affect cuticular profiles which in turn may serve as cues in the process of elimination of excess gynes characteristic of the eusocial stingless bees. In this study, we evaluated the contribution of larval food to cuticular profiles of stingless bee gynes and quantitatively tested if recognition (latency) from workers may be related to gyne chemotype and origin in the species Scaptotrigona pectoralis. Our results showed that the origin of food did not significantly affect the cuticular profiles of gynes, as larvae of the same origin reared on food from different colonies showed similar cuticular profiles at emergence. We suggest that overlapping over floral resources may account for the similarity in cuticular cues derived from food across experimental colonies. Additionally, workers showed similar latency time to first aggression towards gynes irrespectively of their chemotype and origin. Gyne’s mass had no effect on the aggressive response from workers either. We observed that gynes threatened aggressive workers which counteracted further aggression. Our results indicate that in stingless bees, cuticular hydrocarbons at emergence seem to have genetic origin and that gyne tolerance seems not related to cuticular chemical profiles. We suggest that cuticular cues may serve as caste labels for the identification of newly emerged gynes after which worker aggression towards them would elicit behavioral indicators of their fitness. We studied the effect of larval food on the cuticular profile of stingless bee gynes coupled with an evaluation of the effect of chemotype in gyne recognition by workers in Scaptotrigona. We used artificial methods of gyne rearing that avoid nest odor acquisition of newly emerged individuals so that the effect of food could be better analyzed on gynes reared on food of their own colony and a different one. The origin of larval food did not significantly affect the cuticular profiles of gynes and workers attacked gynes irrespective of their chemotype. Our results demonstrate that cuticular chemical profiles are explained by genetic origin and not larval diet and that workers’ aggressive responses to gynes are independent of gyne colony origin.

The effect of aged litter materials on polyatomic ion concentrations in fractionated suspended particulate matter from a broiler house

ABSTRACTInorganic emissions from livestock production and subsequent deposition of these ions can be a major source of pollution, causing nitrogen enrichment, eutrophication, acidification of soils and surface waters, and aerosol formation. In the poultry house, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emissions can also adversely affect the health, performance, and welfare of both animals and human operators. The persistence and long life expectancy of ammonia, odors and toxic pollutants from poultry houses may be due to the ability of suspended particulate matter (SPM) to serve as carriers for odorous compounds such as ammonium ions and other inorganic compounds (e.g., phosphate, sulfate, nitrate, etc.). SPM is generated from the feed, animal manure, and the birds themselves. A large portion of odor associated with exhaust air from poultry houses is SPM that has absorbed odors from within the houses. Understanding the fate and transport processes of ammonia and other inorganic emissions in poultry houses is a necessary first step in utilizing the appropriate abatement strategies. In this study, the examination and characterization of ammonium ions, major components of odors and toxic gases from poultry operations, and other ions in suspended particulate matter in a broiler house were carried out using particle trap impactors. The SPM from the particle trap impactors was extracted and analyzed for its ionic species using ion chromatography (IC). The results showed concentrations of polyatomic ions in suspended particulate matter were found to increase with successive flocks and were highly concentrated in the larger size particulate matter. In addition, the ions concentrations appeared to reach a maximum at the middle of flock age (around the fourth week), tapering off toward the end in a given flock (possibly due to ventilation rates to cool off larger birds). Thus, it can be inferred that aged of bedding materials affects the ionic concentrations in aerosol particulate matter more than the age of the birds.Implications: In the poultry house, toxic gas emissions can adversely affect the health, performance, and welfare of both animals and human operators. The persistence of these toxic pollutants from poultry houses may be due to the ability of suspended particulate matter (SPM) to serve as carriers for these compounds (inorganic ions). Our study showed that polyatomic ions in suspended particulate matter were found to increase with successive flocks and were highly concentrated in the larger size SPM. Understanding the effect of management practices on poultry air emissions will lead to innovative best management practices to safeguard the health and welfare of the animals as well as those of the poultry operators, along with reducing the impact of potential air pollution on the environment.

Direct immersion solid-phase microextraction with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry for the determination of specific biomarkers of human sweat in melted snow.

To provide a reliable tool for investigating diffusion processes of the specific components of the human odor 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol through the snowpack, we developed and optimized an analytical method based on direct immersion solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Direct immersion solid-phase microextraction was performed using polyacrylate fibers placed in aqueous solutions containing 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol. After optimization, absorption times of 120 min provided a good balance to shorten the analysis time and to obtain suitable amounts of extractable analytes. The extraction efficiency was improved by increasing the ionic strength of the solution. Although the absolute extraction efficiency ranged between 10 and 12% for 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 2-3% for 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol, this method was suitable for analyzing 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol concentrations of at least 0.04 and 0.20 ng/mL, respectively. The precision of the direct immersion solid-phase microextraction method ranged between 8 and 16%. The variability within a batch of six fibers was 10-18%. The accuracy of the method provided values of 88-95 and 86-101% for 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol, respectively. The limit of detection (and quantification) was 0.01 ng/mL (0.04 ng/mL) for 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 0.06 ng/mL (0.20 ng/mL) for 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol. The signal versus concentration was linear for both compounds (r(2) = 0.973-0.979). The stability of these two compounds showed that 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid was more stable in water than 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol. We applied the method to environmental samples in correspondence with an olfactory target buried previously.

Predicting the response of olfactory sensory neurons to odor mixtures from single odor response.

The response of olfactory receptor neurons to odor mixtures is not well understood. Here, using experimental constraints, we investigate the mathematical structure of the odor response space and its consequences. The analysis suggests that the odor response space is 3-dimensional, and predicts that the dose-response curve of an odor receptor can be obtained, in most cases, from three primary components with specific properties. This opens the way to an objective procedure to obtain specific olfactory receptor responses by manipulating mixtures in a mathematically predictable manner. This result is general and applies, independently of the number of odor components, to any olfactory sensory neuron type with a response curve that can be represented as a sigmoidal function of the odor concentration.

Quantification of brown dog tick repellents, 2-hexanone and benzaldehyde, and release from tick-resistant beagles, Canis lupus familiaris.

We have recently shown that repellency of the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato by the tick resistant dog breed, the beagle, is mediated by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) 2-hexanone and benzaldehyde present in beagle odour. Ectoparasite location of animal hosts is affected by variation in these odour components and their ratios. The aim of this study was to quantify the release rate, and the ratio, of 2-hexanone and benzaldehyde from beagles. The odour of three beagles was collected, for four days, over one week (day 0, day 1, day 4 and day 7). The compounds were identified using coupled high-resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and authentic standards of compounds were used to generate external calibration curves for quantification. Both compounds were found in all dogs on all days. The amount of benzaldehyde was always higher than that of 2-hexanone and so their ratio varied from unity, on average (over time) being 3.128±0.365, 1.902±0.390, 1.670±0.671ngmL(-1) for beagle 1, 2 and 3, respectively. There was no significant (p<0.05, F-test) effect of time. The overall mean was 2.233±0.387ngmL(-1). These results further previous findings by documenting the presence of 2-hexanone and benzaldehyde in beagle odour samples covering a 7-day period. This knowledge enables development of repellents to protect dogs from R. sanguineus s. l. infestation.

Behavioral Responses of CD-1 Mice to Six Predator Odor Components.

Mammalian prey species are able to detect predator odors and to display appropriate defensive behavior. However, there is only limited knowledge about whether single compounds of predator odors are sufficient to elicit such behavior. Therefore, we assessed if predator-naïve CD-1 mice (n = 60) avoid sulfur-containing compounds that are characteristic components of natural predator odors and/or display other indicators of anxiety. A 2-compartment test arena was used to assess approach/avoidance behavior, general motor activity, and the number of fecal pellets excreted when the animals were presented with 1 of 6 predator odor components in one compartment and a blank control in the other compartment. We found that 2 of the 6 predator odor components (2-propylthietane and 3-methyl-1-butanethiol) were significantly avoided by the mice. The remaining 4 predator odor components (2,2-dimethylthietane, 3-mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol, 3-mercapto-3-methylbutyl-1-formate, and methyl-2-phenylethyl sulphide) as well as a nonpredator-associated fruity odor (n-pentyl acetate) were not avoided. Neither the general motor activity nor the number of excreted fecal pellets, both widely used measures of stress- or anxiety-related behavior, were systematically affected by any of the odorants tested. Further, we found that small changes in the molecular structure of a predator odor component can have a marked effect on its behavioral significance as 2-propylthietane was significantly avoided by the mice whereas the structurally related 2,2-dimethylthietane was not. We conclude that sulfur-containing volatiles identified as characteristic components of the urine, feces, and anal gland secretions of mammalian predators can be, but are not necessarily sufficient to elicit defensive behaviors in a mammalian prey species.

Response Prediction of an Insect’s Olfactory Receptor Neuron by Using Structural Parameters of Odorant and Self-Organizing Map

Our group has, for years, been studying odor approximation to express a variety of odors using a small number of odor components. The insect’s olfaction is more appropriate for systematic survey for odor approximation than mammal’s one because of its database’s availability. Thus, we propose a prediction method of Drosophila’s olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) response from the structural parameters of an odorant molecule and the reported data of ORN response using self-organizing map (SOM). We obtained the structural parameters of odorant molecules by using Dragon (Talete s.r.l.). Then, the SOM maps the structural parameters of an odorant molecule onto an OR response to the corresponding odor. For improving accuracy, we selected important parameters based on Akaike information criteria. Then, the simulation suggests that the prediction can be performed only using a few tens of parameters.

Pilot Plant Study of Red Palm Oil Deodorization Using Moderate Temperature

Abstract Red palm oil is the richest natural source of valuable minor components such as carotene. Although a highly valued product, carotene unfortunately is destroyed in refining process. Deodorization is one of the refining steps which will thermally destroy all carotenes. This paper describes method of preserving the carotenes in neutralized red palm oil (NRPO) by the use of moderate temperatures of deodorization after chemical refining process for pilot plant scale (100 L). Deodorization was conducted at 130, 140, and 150 o C under 20 mmHg. 20 L/hour of nitrogen was used to deodorize neutral oil. After 1 and 2 hours, NDPO (Neutralized Deodorized Palm Oil) was then analyzed for some quality parameters, including moisture content, free fatty acid (FFA), total carotenes, peroxide value (PV), color, and odor. All treatments had good performance to reduce moisture content and PV. Considering oil quality parameters, deodorization at 140 o C for 1 hour was recommended to produce NDPO with high carotene retention. It could preserve carotene almost 70%. All treatments could not reduce FFA and all volatile components of odor although NRPO was deodorized for 2 hours at 150 o C. Off flavor characteristic of ‘palmyodor’ could not be removed at all since moderate temperatures were used.

近海延縄漁業で水揚げされるヨシキリザメの鮮度と臭気成分について

近海延縄漁船が気仙沼に水揚げするヨシキリザメ肉を臭気抑制して正肉加工原料化するための基盤的知見を得ることを目的として冬期および夏期の水揚げ魚の鮮度と臭気成分を調べた。K 値は漁獲から水揚げまでの日数が長いほど上昇し，両者の間に強い直線的相関関係が認められた。一方，アンモニア含量は航海中の漁獲時期にかかわらず低かったが個体間のばらつきは航海前期漁獲魚の方が大きかった。水揚げ後の市場静置中に K 値，アンモニア含量ともほとんど増加しなかった。以上の結果から正肉加工品には航海後期漁獲魚が適すると考えられた。

Evidence for partial overlap of male olfactory cues in lampreys.

Animals rely on a mosaic of complex information to find and evaluate mates. Pheromones, often consisting of multiple components, are considered to be particularly important for species-recognition in many species. Although the evolution of species-specific pheromone blends is well described in many insects, very few vertebrate pheromones have been studied in a macro-evolutionary context. Here, we report a phylogenetic comparison of multi-component male odours that guide reproduction in lampreys. Chemical profiling of sexually mature males from eleven species of lamprey, representing six of ten genera and two of three families, indicated that the chemical profiles of sexually mature male odours are partially shared among species. Behavioural assays conducted with four species sympatric in the Laurentian Great Lakes indicated asymmetric female responses to heterospecific odours, where Petromyzon marinus were attracted to male odour collected from all species tested, but other species generally preferred only the odour of conspecifics. Electro-olfactogram recordings from P. marinus indicated that although P. marinus exhibited behavioural responses to odours from males of all species, at least some of the compounds that elicited olfactory responses were different in conspecific male odours compared with heterospecific male odours. We conclude that some of the compounds released by sexually mature males are shared among species and elicit olfactory and behavioural responses in P. marinus, and suggest that our results provide evidence for partial overlap of male olfactory cues among lampreys. Further characterization of the chemical identities of odour components is needed to confirm shared pheromones among species.

Analysis of Volatile Odor Components of Superheated Steam-cooked Rice with a Less Stale Flavor

Milled common Japonica rice was cooked using a newly developed superheated steam rice cooking machine and the volatile odor compounds of the steamed rice and of the steam generated during cooking were analyzed. At least 22 odorous compounds were found in the steam by GC-olfactometry, of which 13 were identified by GC-MS. Hexanal and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, which are known odor compounds characteristic of cooked rice, were identified, and four compounds, including longifolene and 2-methoxyphenol, were newly identified in Japonica rice. The amounts of hexanal and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal in steamed rice, extracted with methyl tert-butyl ether, were essentially the same as in ordinary cooked rice. On the other hand, headspace analysis showed that the levels of odor compounds in steamed rice were less than 10% that of ordinary cooked rice. Only small amounts of odorants appear to be released from the surfaces of steamed rice grains.