Information measuring system for training assessors to determine the odour threshold using the dynamic olfactometry method

Abstract

This article presents the results of training, selection and control of a group of assessors to determine the odour threshold. General recommendations of the European standard EN 13725: 2003 “Air quality － Determination of odour concentration by dynamic olfactometry” for the training, selection and supervision of a group of assessors were used in this work. A trained assessor team or panel is the odour measuring instrument. The dynamic olfactometry method was used to determine the concentration of odour in a gas sample. N-butanol was chosen as the odour sample. The experimental setup for the selection and training of a group of assessors to determine the odour threshold is a information measuring system. This information measuring system provides high accuracy and reliability of measurements. The authors chose the Scentroid SM 100 olfactometer and the Agilent 7800 A gas chromatography-mass spectrometer with a 5975C mass-selective detector as a mean of measuring in information system. The referenced value of odour threshold for n-butanol was set to 38 ppb for a panel of 8 selected n-butanol assessors. The number of steps in the dilution series was 6. The instrumental dilution range was 11 ppb to 145 ppb.