Sensory analyses of naphthenic acids as potential compounds for fish tainting

Naphthenic acids (NAs), a group of compounds found in oil sands process-affected waters, have been implicated as a cause of the atypical odors which characterise fish taint. Sensory analyses were undertaken to clarify the role of NAs in fish taint. Triangle test and three-alternative forced choice (3-AFC) methods were used to estimate olfactory detection thresholds of NAs. Due to cognitive advantages, the 3-AFC method was found to be superior for the estimation of olfactory detection thresholds of NAs. 3-AFC analyses by trained panels of two commercial preparations and one oil sands extract of NAs, revealed that the odor detection thresholds and odor profiles of NAs differ markedly depending upon their source. Consumer preference panels revealed no evidence that the taste of fish collected from the Athabasca River was preferred less than the taste of fish from two other water basins in Alberta.