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