Guidelines for Sensory Evaluation of Electronic Cigarettes (III): How to Cope with Olfactory Fatigue in Sensory Evaluation

Summary:
This article continues to discuss the generation and coping strategies of olfactory fatigue in the sensory evaluation of electronic cigarettes. Olfactory fatigue may be caused by two factors: ion channel closure and receptor saturation. The core of relieving olfactory fatigue is to "liberate the occupied olfactory receptors", which can be achieved through methods such as inhaling, breathing fresh air, and drinking water in a odorless environment. The article also mentioned that smelling wool balls and the scent of one's own skin may help alleviate olfactory fatigue, but no evaluation was made.
The previous article introduced the relevant content on odor perception and olfactory fatigue in sensory evaluation of electronic cigarettes. Before reading this issue, it is strongly recommended to first understand the previous content
Guidelines for sensory evaluation of electronic cigarettes (II): Odor perception and olfactory fatigue
In this issue, we will continue to learn about the generation and response of olfactory fatigue in the sensory evaluation of electronic cigarettes. This series will continue to comprehensively and deeply explore the sensory evaluation of electronic cigarettes. Please stay tuned.
Topic 3: The generation and response of olfactory fatigue in sensory evaluation
(1) Understanding Olfactory (Previous Content)
(2) The generation of olfactory fatigue
The occurrence of olfactory fatigue can be roughly understood from two aspects:
1. Ion channel closure
A classic paper published in the international journal "Science" (Facility of Calmodulin Mediated Odor Adaptation by cAMP Gated Channel Subunits) suggests that during the process of odor perception, calcium ions regulate cyclic nucleotide gated ion channels through calmodulin. So, in short, when we smoke e-cigarettes normally, the ion channels open normally (assuming that 100 chemical signals are converted into 100 electrical signals at this time); When we conduct a large amount of inhalation, excessive calcium ions will negatively regulate the cyclic nucleotide gated ion channels through calmodulin, causing the ion channels to close (at this time, 100 chemical signals can only be converted into very few electrical signals or cannot be converted into electrical signals), leading to the inability of the brain to form odor perception.
2. Receptor saturation
Odor molecules need to bind to odor receptors in order to convert chemical signals into electrical signals. If a large amount of suction is carried out in a short period of time, the human body's odor receptors have become saturated and cannot bind to more odor molecules, naturally unable to sustain odor perception.
(3) How to deal with olfactory fatigue in sensory evaluation
The core of relieving olfactory fatigue is to "liberate the occupied olfactory receptors".
1. Conduct sensory evaluation in a odorless environment.
Most sensory evaluations of electronic cigarettes are conducted in a mixing room, where the perfumer completes the mixing process and is already experiencing a certain degree of olfactory fatigue. Switching to a odorless room (the selection and layout of the evaluation site will be explained in a separate article), taking a short break before conducting the evaluation will greatly improve the accuracy of sensory evaluation. Many e-cigarette flavorers have noticed this, but it is difficult to make any changes.
2. Breathe fresh air.
After completing a set of evaluations, breathe fresh air and rest for 2-3 minutes before proceeding to the next set of evaluations, which is simple and effective, but very few people can achieve it in practice.
3. Drink water (warm water is best).
After inhalation, a large amount of sweeteners, coolants, and a small amount of odor compounds will still remain in our mouth and respiratory tract; Warm water can dissolve residual sweeteners, PG, VG, etc. in the tongue and mouth, while also reducing the irritation of nicotine and cooling agents on the throat, which is beneficial for restoring the oral and respiratory tract to a normal state.
In addition, it is believed that smelling wool balls can effectively alleviate olfactory fatigue, as the wax components in lanolin and wool absorb and neutralize odor molecules, providing the "odorless breathing" that the brain needs; Another theory suggests that sniffing the scent of one's own skin can restore the sense of smell to its factory settings. The author does not evaluate these two methods, and here they are listed for readers' reference.
Our sense of smell is a very direct sensory organ, and the methods to alleviate olfactory fatigue are also very simple and direct. The three methods mentioned in this article are all commonly used in daily life. We hope everyone pays more attention to these details, which will greatly improve their work performance.