NEW YORK ( CNN ) -- The source of a mysterious maple syrup-like smell that has periodically blanketed New York is not a particularly aromatic pancake house but a New Jersey factory involved in the processing of fenugreek seeds , Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday . The source of New York 's sweet aroma has been identified as the New Jersey food-flavoring company Frutarom . The sweet aroma first descended upon Manhattan and northern New Jersey in October 2005 , initially triggering several building evacuations as well as concern the scent was physically harmful . Authorities from the Office of Emergency Management soon concluded it posed no danger to the public . The odor made several return appearances in subsequent years , each time confounding nostrils before vanishing as perplexingly as it arrived . Comparing information about local wind speed , wind direction and air humidity against the locations of citizen complaints about the smell , officials from the city 's Department of Environmental Protection narrowed down the potential source to four factories in northern New Jersey that produce food additives and fragrances . Watch how the mystery was solved » . Last week , when several dozen residents of Upper Manhattan called to complain about the smell , the environmental department , having developed a new evidence gathering procedure , gathered air samples from each suspected source in canisters . Tests revealed the pungent perpetrator of that incident was a Hudson County facility owned by Frutarom , a company that develops and manufactures flavors for the food , fragrance and pharmaceutical industries . The specific chemical agents responsible for the scent are esters , compounds `` created by the reaction between an alcohol and an acid '' during the processing of fenugreek seeds , according to Bloomberg . Toasted fenugreek seeds are often used in the production of artificial syrups and in the cuisines of a number of cultures . The mayor said New Jersey officials , who cooperated with New York in the investigation , had concluded that Frutorom had not violated any rules . He said New Yorkers will have to tolerate the syrup smell 's occasional return , noting that it 's a relatively benign odor . `` All things considered I can think of a lot of things worse than maple syrup , '' he said .
New York finally identifies mysterious maple syrup-like smell that first arose in 2005 . Mayor Bloomberg says New Jersey factory processing fenugreek seeds is source . Score: 6