Perfume and Flavor Engineering: A Chemical Engineering Perspective

In the last two decades, scientific methodologies for the prediction of the design, performance and classification of fragrance mixtures have been developed at the Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering. This review intends to give an overview of such developments. It all started with the question: what do we smell? The Perfumery Ternary Diagram enables us to determine the dominant odor for each perfume composition. Evaporation and 1D diffusion model is analyzed based on vapor-liquid equilibrium and Fick's law for diffusion giving access to perfume performance parameters. The effect of matrix and skin is addressed and the trail of perfumes analyzed. Classification of perfumes with the perfumery radar is discussed. The methodology is extended to flavor and taste engineering. Finally, future research directions are suggested.

Automated summary

This review provides an overview of scientific methodologies developed at the Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering for the prediction of fragrance mixtures design, performance, and classification. Starting from the question of "what do we smell," the Perfumery Ternary Diagram is used to determine dominant odors, while analyzing evaporation and diffusion models based on vapor-liquid equilibrium and Fick's law. The methodology is extended to flavor and taste engineering, with future research directions suggested.