Sensory Evaluation is practiced daily in the foods, beverage, and fragrance
industries for decision making that affects billion dollar markets. Standards
practiced in these industries have protocols and techniques similar to the
protocols, methods, and standards for odor evaluation.
The internationally accepted statistical concepts that are used for odor evaluation
allow for analysis to be accomplished in the laboratory setting. The determination
of odor concentration (detection and/or recognition thresholds), intensity, and
descriptor identification is routinely conducted under controlled laboratory
conditions with trained assessors.
Environmental engineers around the world have been using olfactometry for over
25 years for a variety of applications. Odor evaluations are more recently being
used by engineers, designers, industrial hygienists, researchers, and many others
in the following applications: forensic investigations, product development,
product verification, and building material acceptability.