Scientists find only a few simple odours make up complex food smells
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From freshly-brewed coffee to sizzling bacon, the vast number of foods we can identify by their smell alone is impressive.
But a new German study suggests that the compounds that create these smells are nowhere near as complex as their final aromas.
Food contains 10,000 volatile substances with 230 being responsible for odour. Of these, only between three and 40 give them their unique smell, the study claims.
From ripe strawberries to sizzling bacon, the vast number of food smells humans can identify is made up of just 230 odorants, according to a new study.And despite food containing 10,000 volatile substances, of the 230 core odours in food, only between three and 40 are what give them their unique smell
The study found that cognac is the most complex of the smells tested, but its aroma is created by just 36 key molecules.
'The smell of cultured butter is encoded by a combination of just three key molecules, but fresh strawberries have 12,' said Professor Peter Schieberle from the Technical University of Munich.
He added that when the aromatic molecular combination moves past the nostrils, it interacts with one or more of the 400 olfactory receptors in the human nose.
The brain then blends the individual notes to create a new odour identity.
When the aromatic molecular combination moves past the nostrils, it causes the brain to translate them into olfactory stimulus patterns. This means that the aroma has to interact with one or more of the 400 olfactory receptors in the human nose.
'A combination of between just a few key odourants creates an authentic perception of odours,' said Professor Thomas Hoffman, also at Technical University of Munich.
'This is all the more surprising given that the olfactory quality of the combinations is not determined by the individual components,' he added.
The team notes that if the chemical odour was to bypass the olfactory receptors to be processed in the brain, the individual odour components wouldn't add up.
This is because the individual olfactory notes are necessary for translating that chemical smell pattern into a new identity.
The German study found that cognac is the most complex of all foodstuffs and the smell of this popular brandy is created by 36 key molecules
'In view of the chemical odour code combination possibilities and the 400 or so different olfactory receptors, it appears that there is more or less unlimited number of discernible odour qualities,' Professor Schieberle said.
So far, scientists have found 42 receptors that respond to food odours.
'By mapping the odorous substances of the 230 currently known key odours, scientists can test which receptor combinations are "reserved" for food odours,' said Professor Hoffman.
'This will help us explain the biological relevance of odours in even greater detail.'
The researchers said mapping of odour codes opens up new possibilities in recreating artificial smells.
For example, it could also bring scientists a step closer to new applications in mobile communication systems such as sending olfactory messages by smartphone.
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