Clove is a spice with 314 known flavor compounds. The most distinctive molecule is 2-nonyl acetate. It pairs most strongly with cinnamon, sharing 249 flavor compounds. Clove appears in 49,705 recipes, most commonly in world cuisine.
Compounds ranked by rarity — the higher the score, the more distinctive to this ingredient.
Of the ~226 molecules that drive perceived food aroma (Dunkel et al. 2014), Clove's inventory contains 53. Most of the other 261 compounds are below detection threshold.
+ 41 more — showing top 12 by class and threshold.
Generalist = appears in >25% of foods (Maillard / fermentation products). Individualist = appears in <5% of foods (carries signature notes). Threshold values are in clean water — the actual perception threshold in a food matrix can differ substantially.
How Clove's 314 known compounds break down by aroma category. Percentages are of compounds with a known label.
77 of 314 are distinctive to clove — they appear in under 10% of foods. The remainder are the background most foods share.
Ordered by measured impact in clove — concentration against odour threshold where both are published, then by how distinctive the molecule is across the graph. Molecules measured here but not established as odorants sit below those that are.
Ranked by how often cooks actually use them together, across 453,403 recipes — the familiar answer first. Each pairing still carries its molecular score and shared-compound count; only the ORDER differs. Counts cover every characterised molecule the two ingredients have in common, not only the aroma-active ones, so they can exceed an ingredient’s aroma-compound count. For the chemistry-first view — where the surprising pairings live — see the molecular network below, the side-by-side comparison, or the Pairing Tool.
Clove and its 10 closest compound-sharing relatives. Spoke thickness = shared compounds; circle size = that ingredient's own compound count. Drag to rearrange, scroll to zoom, click to open.
Compare Clove side-by-side
Drawn from PubMed + Europe PMC + food-science journals. Click any title to read the full abstract on the original source.
This study evaluated the effects of a synergistic blend of natural plant extracts based on oregano, clove, and cinnamon (Fytera Perform) on growth performance, intestinal health, i... Read abstract →
Developing sustainable and multifunctional intelligent packaging systems has emerged as a highly promising approach to reducing plastic pollution, minimizing food waste, and enhanc... Read abstract →
Clove (Syzygium aromaticum L. Myrtaceae) is an aromatic plant widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries, rich in volatile compounds and antioxidants such as eugenol,... Read abstract →
Meat and meat products are perishable products that require the use additives to prevent the spoilage by foodborne microorganisms and pathogenic bacteria. Current trends for produc... Read abstract →
Syzygium aromaticum L., commonly named clove, is widely used in the food industry due to its antioxidant and antibacterial capabilities. However, little information is available re... Read abstract →
