See it in action
What gives lime its hidden clove and spice edge?
Lime's citrus brightness gets all the credit, but beneath it sits a cluster of phenolic compounds more at home in a spice rack than a fruit bowl.
Carvacrol
Carvacrol — the high-OAV oregano/thyme phenol lurking in lime's peel
OAV in lime
Eugenol
Eugenol — the clove-and-honey phenol that adds warm, spicy depth
OAV in lime
Aroma: clove, honey, spicy · phenol
Thymol
Thymol — the antiseptic-edged thyme compound rounding out the phenolic trio
OAV in lime
Lime's flavor profile is not purely citrus — it carries a phenolic backbone that overlaps more with dried herbs and clove than with lemon or orange, which explains why it pairs so stubbornly well with savory and spiced preparations.
Unlock the OAV numbers
See exactly how far over the detection threshold each compound is — the part of the chemistry that explains why this pairing works. Plus the full ranked list for any ingredient, compound index, and Compare tool.
OAV (Odor Activity Value) = concentration ÷ detection threshold. Numbers above 1 mean the compound contributes detectably to aroma.