» » » Nathalie Nibbe

Senior Consultant, Olfasense GmbH

Born in Hamburg, Germany

2004 - 2008 Bachelor of Science in Food Science at the University of Kiel

2008 - 2010 Master of Science in Food Economy at the University of Kiel

2008 - 2010 Working student at Odournet GmbH

2010 - 2014 Doctorial student (Food Economy) at the University of Kiel & Project Manager at Odournet GmbH Since

2014 Senior Consultant at Olfasense GmbH (formerly Odournet GmbH)

State of the Art of Odor Testing with a Special Focus on the Hygiene Industry

Odor is a constant topic in the hygiene industry. Some companies get complaints about the smell of their product and what to learn what compounds are causing the malodor. Other companies have found ways to reduce the odor of products in-use and want to prove the odor reducing effect scientifically. In order to carry out a reliable odor test, first a test design needs to be determined. It is differentiated between sample preparation and odor evaluation. The sample preparation is quiet individual and depends on the product (e.g. raw material or final product; fem care product or baby diaper) to achieve conditions that are as ‘real’ as possible and tailor-made to the product or material to be tested. The odor evaluation itself is – on the other hand – highly standardized to get traceable and reproducible results. For identifying malodorous compounds, GC-Sniffing is used. This methodology is a technique that combines the chemical information typically gained from gas chromatography with the sensory information provided by the human sensory system. To determine a product’s odor reducing efficacy, human noses are most essential. No analytical tool can identify an odor change in the human perception. Therefore, samples are offered to a panel which evaluates the odor with various parameters. For this evaluation process standardized EN, ASTM and ISO methodologies are available. These and other methodologies will be discussed to provide a holistic overview of odor testing in the hygiene industry. Real case studies will round off the presentation.