Analysis of characteristic odors from human male axillae

A number of studies concerning the analysis of axillary odors have assumed that the characteristic odor produced in the axillae is due to volatile steroids and isovaleric acid. Organoleptic evaluation of Chromatographic eluants from axillary extracts was employed to isolate the region in the chromatogram where the characteristic odor eluted. The odor of the dissolved eluant was eliminated when it was treated with base, suggesting that acids make up the characteristic axillary odor. Subsequent extraction of the pH-adjusted axillary extract in conjunction with organoleptic evaluation of the Chromatographic eluant, preparative gas chromatography, and analysis by GC-MS as well as GC-FTIR showed the presence of a number of C₆ to C₁₁ straight-chain, branched, and unsaturated acids as important contributors to the axillary odor. The major odor component is (E)-3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid. Three homologous series of minor components are also important odor contributors; these consist of the terminally unsaturated acids, the 2-methyl-C₆ to -C₁₀ acids and the 4-ethyl-C₅ to -C₁₁ acids. These types of acids have not been reported previously as components of the human axillary secretions and have not been proposed previously as part of the principal odor components in this area.     

Contribution of Lactobacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides to Atypical Odors of Beef Strip Loins

Sterile beef strip loin tissue was inoculated with Lactobacillus plantarum or Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides, placed in sterile sample bottles which were purged with CO₂, and stored up to 28 days at 3°C. Volatile compounds detected in the headspace of these samples included acetone, toluene, acetic acid, ethyl acetate, a C₇ hydrocarbon, and trichloromethane. The profile of volatiles in packaged sterile loin tissue stored for up to 28 days was similar. However, the inoculated samples spoiled (soured) at a faster rate.     

Misidentification by wild rabbits,Oryctolagus cuniculus,of group members carrying the odor of foreign inguinal gland secretion

To demonstrate that the inguinal gland odor conveys information on the identity of individuals, 60 male, wild-type rabbits,Oryctolagus cuniculus, living in groups of three in outdoor pens, were used in 120 tests. Members of the groups smeared with the inguinal gland secretion from unfamiliar rabbits were attacked by their penmates. In contrast the odors of chin gland secretions and urine of strange rabbits and of a commercial perfume did not cause serious disruption to the social relationships within the groups.     

Experimental habitat scenting inhibits colonization by beaver,Castor canadensis

Unoccupied beaver (Castor canadensis) sites in New York State were for two years experimentally scented with a mixture of beaver castoreum and anal gland secretion. These sites were colonized less often than unscented control sites. The beaver is the first mammal to have been shown experimentally to use intraspecific odor cues when settling in vacant habitat. Territorial pheromones may be useful as repellents for beaver or other rodents.     

Enantiomeric Composition of Monoterpene Hydrocarbons in Some Conifers and Receptor Neuron Discrimination of α-Pinene and Limonene Enantiomers in the Pine Weevil, Hylobius abietis

The enantiomeric composition of seven monoterpene hydrocarbons in headspace volatiles of spruce sawdust and seedlings (Picea abies), pine seedlings (Pinus sylvestris), and branches of juniper (Juniperus communis) was determined by gas chromatographic separation on a -Cyclodextrin column. For the six monoterpenes, -pinene, camphene, -pinene, sabinene, limonene, and -phellandrene, both enantiomers were present, whereas for 3-carene only the (+)-configuration was found. The amount of each enantiomer varied considerably both in relation to total amount of all of them, and for the six pairs also in relation to the opposite enantiomer. One olfactory receptor neuron in the pine weevil (Hylobius abietis) showed a strong response to -pinene when stimulated with all four headspace materials via a GC equipped with a DB-WAX column. The same neuron was subsequently tested with repeated stimulations via the GC effluent containing the (+)- or (–)-enantiomer. A marked better response to (+)- than to (–)--pinene was elicited. Another olfactory receptor neuron that responded strongly to limonene when stimulated with the spruce volatiles was tested for enantiomers of limonene. This neuron responded more strongly to (–)- than to (+)-limonene, when stimulated alternately with each of the limonene enantiomers. Discrimination between enantiomers by plant olfactory receptor neurons suggests that the enantiomeric ratios of volatile compounds may be important in host location by the pine weevil.     

改良型腰果酚醛树脂废气治理的研究

改良型腰果酚醛树脂应用到铸件等浸渍、粘合、烘干等过程中会产生恶臭,排放前需要降解处理。研究采用低温等离子体技术结合吸收方法处理改良型腰果酚醛树脂废气,考察了处理工程中峰值电压、停留时间、吸收液pH值对废气去除率的影响。实验室小试改良型腰果酚醛树脂废气进口浓度85 ppm,停留时间1.2 s时,去除率可达92%;工业扩大示范工程去除率最高可达80%,排气口出气平均恶臭浓度1 239.5(无量纲),满足《恶臭污染物排放标准》(GB14554-93)中相关规定。     

Olfactory discrimination ability in short-tailed fruit bat,carollia perspicillata (Chiroptera: Phyllostomatidae)

The olfactory discrimination ability in a fruit-eating bat,Carollia perspicillata, was investigated. In a food-rewarded flight training procedure, four animals were taught to choose one of two odors simultaneously presented in a three-choice apparatus.Carollia chose the odor of ripe banana over that of unripe banana in a spontaneous choice test. With the same method, the bats significantly preferred undiluted banana odor compared to a dilution of 1 10, but did not express a preference between undiluted and 15 dilutions of ripe banana. In a series of reinforced choice tests, the positive stimulus (CS +) was the standardized odor of natural ripe banana. Prominent components of this complex odor were used as CS –, first in monomolecular form and later in combinations (odor cocktails) of increasing similarity to banana odor. In all these tests the bats easily discriminated the natural food odor from the artificial ones. Even a gas Chromatographic congruity of 57% between the major components of natural banana odor and an odor cocktail caused no impairment of the olfactory performance. The olfactory discrimination ability ofCarollia perspicillata supports the assumption that echolocating, frugivorous bats may use their sense of smell to find and select their food.     

Cyclical changes in volatile acidic metabolites of human vaginal secretions and their relation to ovulation

The major volatile constituents in human vaginal secretions were identified. Data collected during the course of 29 cycles from 9 subjects showed that the nature and abundance of the vaginal organic constituents differed with respect to subject. Only 3 of 9 subjects investigated consistently had C₃-C₅ aliphatic acids; acetic acid was present in all subjects. Lactic acid was the major acidic compound consistently found in the vaginal secretion of all subjects near the time of ovulation. Cyclical changes in the acidic constituents were demonstrated.     

Identification of odors from overripe mango that attract vinegar flies,Drosophila melanogaster

Bioassays with a variety of overripe fruits, including mango, plum, pear, and grape, and their extracts showed that odors from overripe mango were most attractive to adult vinegar flies, Drosophila melanogaster. Combined gas chromatography–electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) analyses of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and Tenax extracts of overripe mango odors showed that several volatile compounds, including ethanol, acetic acid, amyl acetate, 2-phenylethanol, and phenylethyl acetate elicited significant EAG responses from antennae of female flies. Most of the volatile compounds in the extracts were identified by mass spectral and retention index comparisons with synthetic standards. In cage bioassays, lures with a blend of ethanol, acetic acid, and 2-phenylethanol in a ratio of 1:22:5 attracted six times more flies than any single EAG-active compound. This blend also attracted four times more flies than traps baited with overripe mango or unripe mango. However, in field trials, the blend was not as attractive as suggested by the laboratory bioassay.     

Bioactivity of beaver castoreum constituents using principal components analysis

North American beaver (Castor canadensis) were observed to sniff from the water and make land visits to some synthetic chemical components of castoreum placed on experimental scent mounds (ESM). In previous analysis, the elicitation (presence/absence), completeness, and/or strength (number, duration) of these key responses served as separate measures of biological activity. In this paper, we used principal components analysis (PCA) to combine linearly six related measures of observed response and one index of overnight visitation calculated over all trials. The first principal component accounted for a majority of the variation and allowed ranking of the samples based on their composite bioactivity. A second PCA, based only on response trials (excluding trials with no responses), showed that responses to the synthetic samples, once elicited, did not vary greatly in completeness or strength. None of the samples evoked responses as complete or strong as the castoreum control. Castoreum also elicited more multiple land visits (repeated visits to the ESM by the same individual or by more than one family member) than the synthetic samples, indicating that an understanding of the castoreum chemosignal requires consideration of responses by the family unit, and not just the land visit by the initial responder.