Determination of Odor Compounds in Fish Tissue

Methyl isoborneol (MIB) and geosmin (GEO) are produced by certain algae and bacteria present in the environment. Increases in these microorganisms can lead to off odor and taste in farm raised fish which can bioaccumulate these compounds over time. Low levels of MIB and GEO cause an unpleasant earthy/musty smell. These compounds have a low odor threshold in the low ng/L range.

Ruan et al. developed a method for determination of MIB and GEO in fish tissue using SBSE. The method was solventless, less labor intensive than the alternate microwave assisted distillation method and provided low levels of quantification for these compounds, MIB (1 ng/L) and GEO (1 ng/L). The method used liquid nitrogen for cryofocusing of the two compounds in the CIS 4 inlet at -120 °C on a glass wool filled liner. SBSE has also been used for the determination of these compounds in water.

In this AppBrief, we present data using the same methodology but using a Tenax-TA filled CIS 4 liner with Peltier cooling. This setup eliminates the need for liquid nitrogen