5. Odor characterization and major olfactory families

The characterization of odors is a delicate and complex exercise that has been the subject of numerous studies. While fragrance perception involves small molecules in the initial stages, it quickly becomes a physiological phenomenon (olfactory perception), accompanied by complex cerebral processing linked to the subject's experience.

However, it is vital to be able to describe the smell of fragrant raw materials and to characterize perfumes olfistically. Unfortunately, there is no universally accepted standard, and perfumers have their own way of describing odors, which can vary from one company to another, while scientists generally have a different way of carrying out this type of analysis.

In all cases, the aim is to associate descriptors with odors, then memorize them during training sessions so that each assessor then has a common language...