Earthy off-flavors in drinking water and in fish,
especially those from fresh water, are commonly
caused by the compounds geosmin and
2-methylisoborneol (MIB).33 Their occurrence
and origin have been extensively studied and
reviewed.34 These compounds may be formed by
actinomycetes and various species of blue-green
algae.35 Farmer et al. found geosmin to be present
in river-caught salmon at up to 1.26 mg/kg, while
MIB was not detected (