Subtractive Mixing of Odor Components from Olfactory White to Generate Various Odors from a Limited Number of Components

Abstract

Here we propose a new approach for reproducing a variety of odors using an olfactory display. Replicating odors in virtual reality has been a formidable challenge because odors are generally complex mixtures of abundant volatile chemical compounds. However, a phenomenon called ''olfactory white'' was discovered, claiming that a mixture of about 30 different chemical substances approaches a certain smell, suggesting that many olfactory cell responses can be saturated with only 30 chemicals. There is a possibility that a wide range of odors can be generated by changing the mixing ratio of the 30 chemicals or subtracting some components from them. We have developed a system that can adjust the vapor mixing ratio of the 30 chemicals so that the response patterns of an electronic nose are matched between the mixed vapor and the target smell. Initial result of humansubject experiment on reproducing several different smells of flavors and fragrances shows the potential of this approach.