I'm confused about one thing. How did we get from cheerios character to mousy? I think of mousy as being very different-- basically, mammal urine. Nothing like the cheerios compound which is sweet and grainy.
A couple of things, I think this one[1] , slide 10
"Tetrahydropyridines (Mouse urine [High] , Bready [Low])"
Additionally, I personally made the connection through sensory feedback as I tasted some of my first sours, noting the grainy flavors on the finish, but not in the aroma.
My association with ATHP and mousy was uncovered in one of the wine papers which mentioned that the volatility of the flavor happens only in the mouth; that is, you cannot "smell" ATHP, it's something you get in the aftertaste because the pH of your mouth modifies the makeup and releases the compounds that we detect.
"The production of a mousy odor by Brettanomyces is a rare phenomenon compared with mousy taint caused by lactic acid bacteria. The mousy off flavor from Brettanomyces contamination is caused by the compounds 2-acetyl- tetrahydropyridines (ATHP) and 2-ethyltetrahydropyridine (ETHP). ATHP is produced from L-lysine and is converted, over time, to ETHP. Both of these compounds produce the mousy character in wine. This character is often difficult to detect until the wine is taken into the mouth. This can be a most unpleasant surprise." [2]
Found another one[3], though this once blends aromas with ATHP versus other Brett aromas (horsey is a different phenol):
"The tetrahydropyridines are responsible for the mousy aroma often associated with Brettanomyces infection.
The aroma of tetrahydropyridines is largely affected by its concentration in the wine; at low concentrations it may
have a bready, popcorn or cracker aroma, but at higher concentrations it may have the more obnoxious mousy
or horsy aroma. The occurrence of mousy aroma does not necessarily indicate that a Brettanomyces infection
is responsible. Tetrahydropyridines arise not only from Brettanomyces, but may also be synthesized by
heterofermentative lactobacilli such as Lactobacillus brevis and L. hilgardii. The substrates required for
heterofermentative lactobacilli such as Lactobacillus brevis and L. hilgardii. The substrates required for
synthesis of these very volatile compounds are lysine, and either ethanol or propenol."
1.
http://www.ahaconference.org/wp-content/uploads/presentations/2008/GregDoss_BrettBrewing.pdf
2.
http://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/indus...ey/postfermentation_classes_of_compounds.html
3.
http://www.burgundy-report.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Understanding-Brettanomyces.pdf