Possible influence of breathing on detection frequency and intensity rating in gas chromatography-olfactometry

Gas chromatography-olfactometry (GCO) is a useful method to screen potent o dorants in food aromas. In this technique, the human olfactory sense is use d to detect the odor-active compounds eluted from a gas chromatograph. A pa rticularity of GCO, compared to other sensory analyses, is to combine two d iscontinuous phenomena:the aperiodic and unpredictable elution of odorous c ompounds from the chromatographic column and the breathing process. We want ed to see whether absence of detection could be attributed to expirations a nd whether odor intensity rating was influenced by the relative temporal po sitions of compound elutions and inspiration periods. A tendency for higher odor detection frequency by fast-breathing subjects was observed in the th ree experiments. It appeared that a subject who was asked to breath faster rated odors more intensively, suggesting a possible individual influence of breathing. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.