Headspace technology
Encyclopedia
Headspace technology is a technique developed in the 1980s to elucidate the odor compounds present in the air surrounding various objects. Usually the objects of interest are odoriferous objects such as plants, flowers and foods. Similar techniques are also used to analyze the interesting scents of locations and environments such as tea shops and saw mills. After the data is analyzed, the scents can then be recreated by a perfumer
.
One of the early pioneers of this technology includes Roman Kaiser
who used it to measure and characterize the scents of tropical rainforest. Headspace techniques has since been used extensively to sample in vivo
floral headspace of a large variety of numerous taxa and their aromatic compounds such as fatty acid
derivatives (aldehyde
s, alcohol
s and ketone
s), benzenoids and isoprenoids.
, or Carbon-13 NMR
.
Several companies have patented similar headspace technologies:
Perfumer
A perfumer is a term used for an expert on creating perfume compositions, sometimes referred to affectionately as a Nose due to their fine sense of smell and skill in producing olfactory compositions...
.
One of the early pioneers of this technology includes Roman Kaiser
Roman Kaiser
Roman Kaiser is a Swiss fragrance chemist. Since 1968 he has been working at Givaudan, the world's largest company in the Flavor and Fragrance Industry, where he analyzes and reconstitutes natural scents for use in perfumery using the headspace technology which he pioneered and which as a new...
who used it to measure and characterize the scents of tropical rainforest. Headspace techniques has since been used extensively to sample in vivo
In vivo
In vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
floral headspace of a large variety of numerous taxa and their aromatic compounds such as fatty acid
Fatty acid
In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have a chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually derived from...
derivatives (aldehyde
Aldehyde
An aldehyde is an organic compound containing a formyl group. This functional group, with the structure R-CHO, consists of a carbonyl center bonded to hydrogen and an R group....
s, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
s and ketone
Ketone
In organic chemistry, a ketone is an organic compound with the structure RCR', where R and R' can be a variety of atoms and groups of atoms. It features a carbonyl group bonded to two other carbon atoms. Many ketones are known and many are of great importance in industry and in biology...
s), benzenoids and isoprenoids.
Equipment
The headspace equipment involves a hollow dome or sphere like objects which forms an airtight seal and surrounds the objects of interest. Inert gases are passed into the space containing the object or a vacuum is established such that the odor compounds are removed from the headspace. These compounds are in turn captured using a variety of techniques among them cold surfaces, solvent traps, and adsorbent materials, with the latter techniques capable of longer periods of collection. The samples can then be analyzed using techniques such as gas chromatography, mass spectrometryMass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...
, or Carbon-13 NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Nuclear magnetic resonance is a physical phenomenon in which magnetic nuclei in a magnetic field absorb and re-emit electromagnetic radiation...
.
Several companies have patented similar headspace technologies:
- Aromascope (TakasagoTakasago International Corporationis a major international producer of flavors and fragrances headquartered in Japan, with presence in 22 countries worldwide and net sales of $900 million in . Major competitors include Firmenich, International Flavors and Fragrances, Givaudan and Symrise.-History:...
) - Jungle Essence (ManeMane SAMane is the first French group and one of the worldwide leaders of the Fragrance and Flavour industry.Established in 1871, the Group is headed by the fourth generation of the MANE family, who fiercely defends its independence....
) - NaturePrint (FirmenichFirmenichFirmenich SA is a private Swiss company in the perfume and flavor business, it is the largest privately-owned company in the perfume and flavor business, and ranks number two worldwide., Firmenich has created many of the world’s favorite perfumes for over 100 years and produced a number of the most...
) - ScentTrek (GivaudanGivaudanGivaudan is a Swiss manufacturer of flavorings and fragrances. As of 2008, it is the world's largest company in the industry.-Background:The company's scents and flavors are developed most often for food and beverage makers, but they are also used frequently in household goods, as well as grooming...
)