Variation in odor thresholds for l-carvone and cineole and correlations with suprathreshold intensity ratings.
Specific anosmias have been reported for l-carvone and cineole, two compounds of importance in food flavor perception. Detection thresholds were assessed in groups of 50+ individuals by ascending forced-choice tests conducted in quadruplicate. Wide individual differences in thresholds were observed. Within the same session, threshold correlations were in the range of +0.8 to +0.9, showing good short-term reliability. Correlations with suprathreshold ratings were moderate (in the range of r = -0.5) after subtraction of false positive ratings for blank samples. However, a cineole mixture experiment failed to show any differences between subgroups that were previously classified as high or low sensitivity on the basis of threshold measurements. Re-testing selected groups after a period of months showed considerable within-individual variation in the thresholds, especially for l-carvone. These results call into question the stability and utility of threshold classification for these two compounds.
Lawless
H T
HT
Department of Food Science, New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca 14853, USA.
Thomas
C J
CJ
Johnston
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000081005:Cyclohexane Monoterpenes; D003511:Cyclohexanols; D000077591:Eucalyptol; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008610:Menthol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D039821:Monoterpenes; D009812:Odorants; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D013729:Terpenes
D000081005:Cyclohexane Monoterpenes; D003511:Cyclohexanols; D039821:Monoterpenes; D013729:Terpenes; D008610:Menthol; C006923:carvone; D000077591:Eucalyptol