were observed between the 2D and 1D odour descriptions. There
may be several explanations for this. First, such a discrepancy
could be explained by a lack of sensitivity of the two panellists
involved in the 2D study when compared to the 1D study which
was carried out with a larger number of panellists, thus compensating
for the low sensitivity of some of them. Second, the odour
of specific compounds may be enhanced in a mixture with other
compounds, whereas they exhibit no odour activity alone. Finally,
the odour of a mixture of odorants may differ from that of the individual
compounds. These findings could be explained by masking
or fusion phenomena resulting from perceptive interactions.
Acknowledgements
This work received financial support from the Nigay SAS, ANRT
(Association Nationale de la Recherche et de la Technologie), the
Regional Council for Burgundy and FEDER (European Union). The
authors would also like to thank Karine Gourrat and the Chemo-
Sens platform (INRA) for their technical support