Scent sources fermentative

The anal sac constitutes an inportant fermentative scent source in the carnivores. In the red fox, the two anal sacs form reservoirs of about 1 ml capacity situated laterally to the anus between the internal and the external anal sphincter muscles. Each sac opens to the inner cutaneous anal region through a short duct. Inputs to these reservoirs are the secretions of the glands of the sac walls and desquamated cells from the sac epidermis. ... 

Mammalian and Environmental Fermentative Scent Sources Compared Even on the basis of present limited knowledge, chemical and... 

The possibility of mammalian fermentative scent sources acquiring individual or group recognition value has also been discussed in relation to the red fox and the Indian mongoose, although the experimental evidence at present available in support of this occurring in these species is not strong (5,35,55). 

The flavors and scents of nature include many examples of alcohols and ethers. Menthol, found in peppermint oil, is an alcohol used both for flavoring and for medicinal purposes. Vanillin, isolated from vanilla beans, contains an ether functional group, as does anethole, the licorice flavor associated with fennel. Ethanol, the alcohol produced by fermentation, is, of course, another flavor of nature. Borneol, which can be isolated from artemesia, is an alcohol with a fascinating molecular architecture. And eucalyptol, which shares the ending of its name with other alcohols but is actually an ether, comes from eucalyptus leaves (shown in the left photo above) and is used as a flavoring, scent, and medicinal agent Nature is an abundant source of alcohols and ethers, and we study the chemistry of these important functional groups in this chapter. 

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