Olfactory oddities

OLFACTORY ODDITIES

FRAGRANTFUEL

researchers

In a paper entitled

finding

“Performance

compounds

studies with

biomass-derived

researchers

musk

in fish and

and in human fat,

milk and blood. The

fuel additives in a two-stroke spark-ignition

synthetic

mussels,

high-octane

have been

engine” in Madras, India

compounds

seem to build

up through

the food chain

have shown that both

in much the same way as

eucalyptus

PCBs and some pesticides,

oil and orange

oil can improve performance to gasoline

such as DDT.

engine

Now, for the first time,

when added at 20%. Both

these molecules

have been

essential

oils mix easily with

found in air samples.

gasoline,

and both are

Robert

Gatermann

cheap and available in

colleagues

quantity. Eucalyptus

Institute

more effective improving

than orange,

engine

by 20.5%

was efficiency

.

from young men tended produce

a depressive

In general improved

effect.

the smells of

older people

SNIFFYOUR

and women

mood. The

GRANNY

researchers

believe that

Chen, from the

hormones

may make the

Monell

Chemical

body odour of younger

Centre

in Philadelphia,

recruited covering

30 volunteers both sexes, and

people

found high musk

musks, because

concentrations

large (often

be signalling

of their

15, 16 or 17-

sided) ring structure, exaltolide,

galaxolide,

muscone

may

that they are

compounds nature,

are found in

and some are not.

or

The only essential

children

simply more content

0

contain

students filled

oil to

significant

quantities

of a true musk

out mood evaluation

MUSKIN

compound

questionnaires

MUSSELS

(musk seed) oil, which has

smelling

after

pads which had

One of the most universally

been worn for 10 hours

popular

under the armpits

musk. Natural musk from

volunteers.

of the

There were

many controls

and cross-

checks.

fragrance

types is

the musk deer is very rarely used today, and is extremely

5.10%

is ambrette

seed

ambrettolide.

Angelica

root oil contains

very small quantities

of

pentadecanolide. About 8000 tonnes of

concentrations

air

in outdoor

air. “I think it comes from cosmetics

and all kinds of

cleaners

or air freshener

Gatermann that humans

believes

can build up

the compounds

in their

bodies by inhaling

them, as

well as by eating contaminated Scientists

food.

in Germany

believe that exposure

is also

possible

that

from textiles

are washed in powder musk

compounds.

It is possible

that their large ring

are

costly, but there are many relatively cheap synthetic

synthesized

women had an uplifting

musk odours readily

perfumes,

effect” and that the smell

available to the perfumer.

soaps. For the past 5 years,

every year for cosmetics

in indoor

and much lower

containing

musk fragrances

Chen found that “old

samples,

sprays” he says.

Some of these

more approachable,

300 university

(also

xylol and musk ketone.

age groups from young to the elderly. Over

these

exaltone,

found in deer musk) musk

signal aggression,

and that older people

at the Norwegian for Air Research

Often called macrocyclic

include

Denise

Senses

to

and his

and

structure

makes it more

difficult

for the body to

eliminate

them ??