Coupling gas chromatography and olfactometry

Analytical chemistry is becoming an increasingly important part of our daily lives. The number of tests carried out on the products we consume, but also on our environment, is constantly increasing. Consumer and public safety has thus become a major issue for our society.

This multiplication of analyses has led to numerous advances in analytical chemistry. The automation of analyses has been greatly improved, and detection limits pushed back.

The identification, characterization and quantification of odor compounds have thus progressed considerably. Given the volatile nature of odorous compounds, gas chromatography (GC) has become the technique of choice.

An odorous compound present in a product or in our environment is characterized by its concentration, its olfactory note and its perception threshold. While conventional gas chromatography techniques can be used to identify and quantify odorous compounds, it is far more difficult to characterize the olfactory impact and perception threshold of the compound identified.

For this purpose, gas chromatography/olfactometry (GC/O) is the tool of choice. This chromatographic technique uses the human nose as a sensory detector, usually in conjunction with conventional physical detection. It is then possible to identify and quantify analytes, as well as determine their olfactory notes and potency.

By observing certain precautions, the analyst can then obtain repeatable, reproducible and quantitative results.

GC/O coupling is therefore frequently used to highlight flavoring compounds characteristic of a food or an environment, or to detect and identify compounds responsible for a bad odor.