ArticlePharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior2008
Human olfactory detection of homologous n-alcohols measured via concentration-response functions.
Article in Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed.
- Odor Thresholds in Flavor Science: A Data-Driven Review From Mechanisms to Applications.Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety · 2026Review
- Slow Release of Bioactive Alcohols From Butenolide Polymers and Coatings.Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2026Article
- Characterization of the physicochemical properties and key aroma compounds of Beijing roast duck skin sugared by water-in-oil nanoemulsion.Food chemistry: X · 2025Article
- Calcium levels in ASER neurons determine behavioral valence by engaging distinct neuronal circuits in C. elegans.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Perceptual interactions of key aroma compounds in Fu brick tea: Odor threshold, sensory, and E-nose analysis.Current research in food science · 2025Article
- A study of the effects of olfactory stimulus duration and concentration on sleep arousal under fatigue driving.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Changes in flavor profile of sauce-flavor baijiu: Perceptual interactions between 1-propanol and aroma compounds.Food chemistry: X · 2025Article
- Effect and mechanism of green and aldehyde aroma compounds from sweet orange on sucrose sweetness perception.Food chemistry: X · 2024Article
- Characterization of key aroma-active compounds in fermented chili pepper (Food chemistry: X · 2024Article
- Calibrating canines-a universal detector calibrant for detection dogs.Frontiers in allergy · 2024Review
- The Adaptive Olfactory Measure of Threshold (ArOMa-T): A rapid test of olfactory function.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2022Article
- Seaweed Inclusion in Finishing Lamb Diet Promotes Changes in Micronutrient Content and Flavour-Related Compounds of Raw Meat and Dry-Cured Leg (Fenalår).Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- The Adaptive Olfactory Measure of Threshold (ArOMa-T): a rapid test of olfactory function.Chemical senses · 2022Article
- Odor Sensitivity Versus Odor Identification in Older US Adults: Associations With Cognition, Age, Gender, and Race.Chemical senses · 2020Article
- Characterization of Odor-Active Volatiles and Odor Contribution Based on Binary Interaction Effects in Mango and Vodka Cocktail.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Direct analysis of volatile components from intact jujube by carbon fiber ionization mass spectrometry.BMC chemistry · 2019Article
- The genetics of fruit flavour preferences.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2018Review
- Poor human olfaction is a 19th-century myth.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2017Review
- Differences in peripheral sensory input to the olfactory bulb between male and female mice.Scientific reports · 2017Article
- An algorithm for 353 odor detection thresholds in humans.Chemical senses · 2012Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
We explored in humans concentration-detection functions for the odor of the homologous n-alcohols ethanol, 1-butanol, 1-hexanol, and 1-octanol. These functions serve to establish structure-activity relationships, and reflect the pharmacology of the olfactory sense at the behavioral level. We tested groups of 14 to 17 subjects (half of them females), averaging 31 to 35 years old. An 8-station vapor delivery device (VDD8) presented the stimulus under a three-alternative forced-choice procedure against carbon-filtered air. The VDD8 was built to meet the demands of typical human sniffs in a short-term (<5 s) olfactory detection task, and to accurately control odorant generation, delivery, and stability. Actual stimulus concentration was quantified by gas chromatography before and during testing. The functions obtained were log normally distributed and were accurately modeled by a sigmoid (logistic) function, both at the group and at the individual level. Sensitivity to ethanol was the lowest and to 1-octanol the highest. Functions became steeper with increasing carbon chain length. For all alcohols the concentration detected halfway between chance and perfect detection (threshold) was at the ppb (or nM) level. Females were slightly more sensitive than males. Intersubject variability across participants was between one and two orders of magnitude. The present odor thresholds were lower than many reported in the past but their relative pattern across alcohols paralleled that in our earlier data and in compilation studies. A previously described quantitative structure-activity relationship for odor potency holds promise to model thresholds that, like those obtained here, best reflect the intrinsic sensitivity of human olfaction.
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