Identification of fragrance chemicals relying on the human nose

FUSHI JOURNAL

Identification of fragrance chemicals relying on the human nose

February 2023

When we had identified the chemicals that Himekomatsu wood naturally releases, we were curious as to which chemical was responsible for the faint aroma from the wood of it. We thought it would be easy to identify the true nature of the aroma, since we had equipment that could identify each individual chemicals.

In reality, however, this was not what we had imagined. The method relied on the human nose, which memorized the aroma of the Himekomatsu wood, then released the chemicals of the wood one by one using the equipment, and compared the aroma with the remembered aroma. I asked if the reason for relying on the human nose was due to inadequate equipment at the facility, but this was not the case. Even today, with the development of measuring instruments, it is not possible to identify the chemicals of a fragrance that a person perceives with a machine.

If you think about it, a machine must be able to reproduce the mechanism of the human nose, and it would be difficult to reproduce the unique sense of smell with a machine. It is easy to understand why the profession of perfumer exists.

ヒメコマツの成分を明らかにしたときに気になったのは、ヒメコマツ材からの微かな香りはどの成分によるものかということだった。成分を一つ一つ特定できる機器があるのだから、香りの正体を特定することは簡単にできると考えていた。

しかし、実際は想像と違った。ヒメコマツ材からの香りを覚え、次にその材から揮発している成分を機器で一つ一つ出していき、その香りと記憶の中の香りを照らし合わせるという人の鼻に頼った方法だった。人の鼻に頼るのはその施設にある機械が不十分なためかと尋ねたがそうではなかった。測定機器が発達した現代においても、人が感じている香りの成分を機械で特定することはできない。

考えてみれば、人の鼻の仕組みを機械で再現できなければいけないわけで、個性ある嗅覚を機械で再現することは難しいのだろう。調香師という職業が存在する理由もよく理解できる。