Perceptual interactions between characteristic notes smelled above aqueous solutions of odorant mixtures.
Twenty-two experienced panelists rated odor intensity of aqueous solutions of citral, octen-1-ol-3, and hexanal. The panel assessed unmixed components and mixtures (9 binary and 4 ternary). In sensory sessions dedicated to mixtures (n = 6), evaluation was focused on one target odor, presented at a fixed concentration. All components had lower odor intensity on mixed presentations. In many cases, information obtained from simpler systems was not extended to complex mixtures. In a mixture, the competition between odorant molecules on qualitative aspects (dominance/suppression) imbalanced components contribution, anticipated from the quantitative distribution. Hexanal appeared to be the potentially weaker odorant in paired combinations, whereas octen-1-ol-3 had a lower relative impact on ternary systems. Suppression of the odor of octen-1-ol-3 and a concomitant increase in the odor of hexanal was common to all ternary mixtures. Reciprocal inhibition of octen-1-ol-3 and citral odors through perceptual interactions was suspected. Mutual suppression is suspected to have eased the perception of hexanal intensity.
Brossard
Chantal
C
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, BIA, Rue de la Géraudière, BP 71627, 44316 Nantes cedex 3, France. brossard@nantes.inra.fr
Rousseau
Florence
F
Dumont
Jean-Pierre
JP
D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D000328:Adult; D000447:Aldehydes; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D039821:Monoterpenes; D000442:Octanols; D009812:Odorants; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*; D012996:Solutions; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D000447:Aldehydes; D039821:Monoterpenes; D000442:Octanols; D012996:Solutions; D014867:Water; C010463:n-hexanal; C007076:citral