On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 378

compound ATP (adenosine triphosphate) When a cell extracts energy from ATP, it is transformed into a series of smaller molecules, one of which, IMP (inosine monophosphate), has a savory taste similar to that of glutamate However, IMP is a transient substance So the savoriness of fish increases for some time after its death as IMP levels rise, then declines again as IMP disappears Fish Aroma Fresh and Plant-like Few of us get the chance to enjoy the experience, but very fresh fish smell surprisingly like crushed plant leaves! The fatty materials of both plants and fish are highly unsaturated, and both leaves and fish skin have enzymes (lipoxygenases) that break these large smellless molecules down into the same small, aromatic fragments Nearly all fish emit fragments (8 carbon atoms long) that have a heavy green, geranium-leaf, slightly metallic smell Freshwater fish also produce fragments that are typical of freshly cut grass (6 carbons), and earthy fragments also found in mushrooms (8 carbons) Some freshwater and migratory species, especially the smelts, produce fragments characteristic of melons and cucumbers (9 carbons) Smell of the Seacoast Ocean fish often have an additional, characteristic aroma of the seacoast This ocean aroma appears to be provided by compounds called bromophenols, which are synthesized by algae and some primitive animals from bromine, an abundant element in seawater Bromophenols are propelled into the seacoast air by wave action, where we smell them directly Fish also accumulate them, either by eating algae or by eating algae eaters, and the fish can thus remind us of the sea air Farmed saltwater fish lack the oceanic aroma unless their artificial feed is supplemented with bromophenols Muddiness Freshwater fish sometimes carry ... produce fragments characteristic of melons and cucumbers (9 carbons) Smell of the Seacoast Ocean fish often have an additional, characteristic aroma of the seacoast This ocean aroma appears to... typical of freshly cut grass (6 carbons), and earthy fragments also found in mushrooms (8 carbons) Some freshwater and migratory species, especially the smelts, produce fragments characteristic of melons and cucumbers (9 carbons)... Fish also accumulate them, either by eating algae or by eating algae eaters, and the fish can thus remind us of the sea air Farmed saltwater fish lack the oceanic aroma unless their artificial feed is supplemented with bromophenols