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Trimethylamine Responsible for Fishy Flavor in Milk from Cows on Wheat Pasture¹

Department of Dairy and Poultry Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506

ABSTRACT

A method was developed to quantify trimethylamine and methylamine by gas-liquid chromatography in steam distillates of milk. There was a decrease in milk flavor scores and a proportionate increase in concentrations of trimethylamine to 4.08 ppm and of methylamine to 57.5 ppm in milk from two cows on winter wheat pasture for 8 days.

Flavor scores of 10 commercial milk samples ranged from 34.0 to 38.3, and trimethylamine and methylamine concentrations ranged from .26 to 1.28 and 4.85 to 14.63 ppm — well below the estimated flavor thresholds in milk as determined by triangular taste tests. The flavor threshold for trimethylamine was approximately 2 ppm, whereas methylamine was not organoleptically detectable at 80 ppm. The former at 4 ppm decreased flavor scores from 36.6 (normal milk) to 32.0 while 40 ppm of the latter gave a score of 37.0. Adding trimethylamine elicited fishy and unclean flavors. It, therefore, is responsible for the fishy flavor characteristic of milk produced on wheat pasture.

¹ Contribution 882, Department of Dairy and Poultry Sciences, Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Manhattan.