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Why does a fresh olive smell so sharply green?

Bite into a fresh olive and the first thing that hits is a cut-grass intensity — not fruit, not oil. That edge comes almost entirely from a trio of six-carbon aldehydes produced the moment olive tissue is damaged.

3-hexenal
3-hexenal — the dominant sharp, grassy aldehyde with an OAV that dwarfs its siblings
OAV in olive
Aroma: Sharp, green, grassy · aldehyde
2-hexenal
2-hexenal — a fat, rancid-leaning aldehyde that adds depth beneath the green top note
OAV in olive
Aroma: fat, rancid · aldehyde
E-2-hexenal
e-2-hexenal — the green-chemical-fruity aldehyde that bridges the other two
OAV in olive
Aroma: green; chemical; fruity · aldehyde

All three compounds belong to the same C6 aldehyde family, generated by the lipoxygenase pathway when cell walls rupture. Their combined OAVs explain why raw olive aroma reads as aggressively vegetal rather than the mellow fruitiness of the cured product.

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.

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See every ingredient that contains 3-hexenal · Compare olive vs tomato

OAV (Odor Activity Value) = concentration ÷ detection threshold. Numbers above 1 mean the compound contributes detectably to aroma.

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