Geosmin is the organic compound responsible for the "earthy" taste of beets. The human nose is exquisitely sensitive to geosmin, able to detect it at concentrations at small as 10 parts per trillion. Organic chemistry is the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and synthesis of organic compounds. ... A chemical compound is a chemical substance formed from two or more elements, with a fixed ratio determining the composition. ... Binomial name Beta vulgaris L. The beet is a plant with a rounded fleshy taproot. ... Human nose Anatomically, a nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which admit and expel air for respiration. ...

Geosmin is produced by several classes of microbes, including cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and actinobacteria, and released when these microbes die. Communities whose water supply depends on surface water can periodically experience episodes of unpleasant-tasting water when a sharp drop in the population of these bacteria releases geosmin into the local water supply. Under acidic conditions, geosmin decomposes into odorless substances. A microorganism or microbe is an organism that is so small that it is microscopic (invisible to the naked eye). ... Cyanobacteria (Greek: cyanos = blue) are a phylum of aquatic bacteria that obtain their energy through photosynthesis. ... Orders Subclass Acidimicrobidae     Acidimicrobiales Subclass Actinobacteridae     Actinomycetales     Bifidobacteriales Subclass Coriobacteridae     Coriobacteriales Subclass Rubrobacteridae     Rubrobacterales Subclass Sphaerobacteridae     Sphaerobacterales The Actinobacteria are a group of Gram-positive bacteria. ... Water (from the Old English word wæter) is a colorless, tasteless, and odorless substance that is essential to all known forms of life and is known also as the most universal solvent. ... An acid (often represented by the generic formula AH) is typically a water-soluble, sour-tasting chemical compound. ...