Tofu is a plant derivative with 166 known flavor compounds. The most distinctive molecule is 2-methyl butyric acid (a cheesy, rancid, butter note). It pairs most strongly with soybean sauce, sharing 31 flavor compounds. Tofu appears in 1,273 recipes, most commonly in tofu 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), Tofu's inventory contains 36. Most of the other 130 compounds are below detection threshold.
+ 24 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 Tofu's 166 known compounds break down by aroma category. Percentages are of compounds with a known label.
19 of 166 are distinctive to tofu — they appear in under 10% of foods. The remainder are the background most foods share.
Ordered by measured impact in tofu — 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.
Tofu 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 Tofu side-by-side
Drawn from PubMed + Europe PMC + food-science journals. Click any title to read the full abstract on the original source.
Reductions in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations have been observed during frying. However, transformation mechanisms of PAHs remain unclear. We hypothesize that... Read abstract →
A molecular sensory analysis of soy protein isolate (SPI) was conducted using headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry (HS-SPME-G... Read abstract →
Tofu whey is a rich source of nutrients and can be biotransformed into functional beverages. This study assessed the fermentation of this by-product by Lactiplantibacillus plantaru... Read abstract →
Tofu preservation often uses unsafe chemicals, especially formaldehyde, that trigger health problems in humans. Therefore, it is necessary to develop preservation methods that are... Read abstract →
A new style of tofu coagulated through the fermentation of Lactobacillus plantarum SJ-L-1 was produced. L. plantarum SJ-L-1 with a high growth rate and excellent acid production ab... Read abstract →
