Identification of olfactory impact compounds
in complex mixtures and raw materials

Current methodologies and innovations

Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 6:30 pm

With

Pr Xavier Fernandez

Professor at the Institut de Chimie de Nice (UMR CNRS 7272), Vice-Chairman Innovation et Valorisation de la Recherche Université Côte d'Azur

Odor compounds are everywhere in our environment: aromas, perfumes, smells, pollution. Whether for reasons of quality control, research or consumer and public safety, characterizing odorants is a major challenge for the analytical sciences.

The increase in the number of analyses required has led to numerous advances in analytical chemistry. Automation has been greatly improved and detection limits extended. The identification, characterization and quantification of odorous compounds have thus progressed considerably [[1]].

An odorous compound present in a product or in our environment is characterized by its concentration, its olfactory note and its perception threshold. While conventional analytical techniques, in particular gas chromatography [[2],[3]], can be used to identify and quantify odorous compounds, it is far more difficult to identify trace compounds with olfactory impact.

The analysis of these odor compounds of interest often requires the combined use of extraction/concentration techniques, high-resolution chromatographic techniques and sensory analysis. The use of two-dimensional chromatography techniques (GC/GC and GC'GC) and gas chromatography/olfactometry (GC/O) is thus the essential tool for this type of study [[4],[5]].

This presentation, illustrated by numerous examples, will present modern methodologies for characterizing odor compounds.

Members only

Eric Meilhoc

Chairman