PubChem CID · CC0
octanoic acid
Cooking relevance
Octanoic acid (PubChem CID 379) is a saturated fatty acid naturally present in certain foods and used in food processing. It contributes to characteristic pungent, slightly rancid aromas in fermented and aged products. In cooking, it plays a minor role as a flavor compound rather than a primary ingredient, appearing in trace amounts in foods undergoing microbial fermentation or lipid oxidation.
- aroma
- pungent · slightly rancid · goaty · waxy undertones
- culinary role
- trace volatile in fermented foods, minor oxidation byproduct in aged fats
- mass spectra
- 6 verified
Research associations
Literature-derived · peer-reviewed sources only · not medical advice
Foods containing this compound
The Greenland halibut or Greenland turbot (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) belongs to the Pleuronectidae family (the right eye flounders), and is the only species of the genus Reinhardtius. It is a deepwater fish distributed from 200 to 1600 m but has been caught at depths more than 2,200 m . It is mainly found in waters with temperatures from 1-4 °C, but has also observed at sub-zero temperatures down to -2.1 °C. It has a circumpolar distribution and is found in both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Its morphology with the left eye positioned on the dorsal ridge of the forehead gives it an appearance of a cyclops when looking straight at it. The central position of the left eye in the Greenland halibut probably gives it a much wider range of peripheral vision in comparison to other flatfish where the eye has migrated completely. The body shape is elongated and compressed dorsal-ventrally and muscles on both sides are equally developed. Both sides are pigmented; however the left blind side is slightly lighter in color than the right side. Its physical appearance suggests it to be a vigorous swimmer that can swim in a vertical position. Vertical swimming has been observed during tagging experiments. However, video analyzing of Greenland halibut behavior in front of a bottom trawl showed no sign of swimming in a vertical position. Even though most Greenland halibut are caught in bottom fishing gears (trawl, longline and gillnet) they have also been caught in surface drift nets which indicates that they can have a pelagic occurrence. Stomach analysis has also shown that the diet consists mostly of pelagic or bathypelagic organisms. Even though the Greenland halibut is a flatfish it does at times behave more like a roundfish.
The haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) is a marine fish distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. Haddock is a popular food fish and is widely fished commercially.
Source
Compound data linked to PubChem CID 379, public domain via NCBI. Culinary context + ingredient mappings are maintained by Foodgeist's enrichment fleet and continuously re-matched by the pairings engine. PubChem CID 379



