Natural Product Analysis in the Fragrance Industry

In this chapter we will follow the analytical work that might be carried out on some natural products to answer a typical enquiry from creative perfumery. In the second section we will explore the different analytical techniques used in the fragrance industry, concentrating on their application to natural product analysis and the way in which they are used to provide the creative perfumer with information. Many analytical techniques also fulfil other roles in the fragrance industry. These will be mentioned when discussing the techniques individually. 

The analysis of natural products is a well-established part of the fragrance industry. Historically, essential oil analysis has provided the creative perfumer with the information required to reconstitute the characteristic odour of an oil at a lower cost and has led to the identification of the key components responsible for the odour. An essential oil may contain 300 or more components and there remain many essential oils that have yet to be investigated in detail. Some of these oils may be a source of new odours. The traditional methods of essential oil analysis coupled with the ever-increasing sensitivity of modern equipment still leads to the discovery of fragrant natural chemicals that are new to science. 

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R. Clery, Natural Product Analysis in the Fragrance Industry. In The Chemistry of Fragrances From Perfumer to Consumer, 2nd ed. C. Sell, Ed. The Royal Society of Chemistry Cambridge, 2006 pp 214-228. 

Research in the fragrance industry is rooted in the chemistry of natural products. Chemists have long analyzed essential oils and other fragrant materials derived from nature in order to determine their compositions and in particular to identify the odoriferous principles. This has produced a wealth of synthetic targets, many of which have become important aroma chemicals. Analysis of namrals has also been used to allow the preparation of synthetic reconstitutions or duplications, which can have great commercial importance if a material is in short supply or becomes very expensive. Duplications also allow important natural odor notes to be used in functional perfumery where supply or discoloration problems can arise. 

Natural flavors and fragrances are an aspect of chemistry we enjoy every day. This fact is not lost on the flavor and fragrance industry and academic researchers around the world. Research into the production, sensation, and analysis of natural flavor and fragrance materials, as described in the chapters of this book, allows better development and application of natural aroma chemicals to the foods we eat and the fragrances we wear. 

From this starting point, the flavor and fragrance (F F) industry, first developed in Europe, expanded to the United States, and later reached an international scope. In the early 1950s, the replacement of traditional methods of analysis with the emerging gas chromatography facilitated the separation and the structural elucidation of volatile odorous components [6]. The synthesis of aroma chemicals that reproduced the characteristic odor and taste of natural products became commonplace and gave rise to a new branch of chemical specialties. The rapid... 

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