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Different methods for volatile sampling in mammals.
Marlen Kücklich1,2, Manfred Möller3, Andrea Marcillo4
1Junior Research Group of Primate Kin Selection, Department of Primatology, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Plos One
|August 26, 2017
Summary
Thermal desorption (TD) tubes are recommended for collecting mammalian body odor, capturing more volatile compounds than cotton swabs or mobile gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). TD tubes offer superior sampling for scent research.
Area of Science:
- * Zoology
- * Chemical Ecology
- * Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- * Olfactory cues are crucial for mammalian communication, yet specific signaling compounds remain largely unidentified.
- * Accurate assessment of volatile compounds emitted by animals is essential for understanding olfactory communication mechanisms and functions.
- * Traditional cotton swab sampling for body odor analysis is prone to contamination and limited in capturing volatile compounds.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To compare the efficacy of three volatile sampling methods for mammalian body odor analysis.
- * To identify the most effective method for capturing a comprehensive profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in vertebrate scent.
- * To provide recommendations for optimal scent sampling techniques in ecological and behavioral studies.
Main Methods:
- * Comparison of three sampling techniques: cotton swabs, thermal desorption (TD) tubes, and a mobile gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) device.
- * Application of methods to assess the body odor of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).
- * Analysis of captured compounds using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify volatile and non-volatile substances.
Main Results:
- * TD tubes captured the highest number of compounds (N=113), with 52 being volatile.
- * Mobile GC-MS captured the fewest compounds (N=35), all of which were volatile.
- * Cotton swabs captured an intermediate number of compounds (N=55), but only 10 were volatile. 94% of compounds from mobile GC-MS were also found in TD tubes.
Conclusions:
- * Thermal desorption (TD) tubes are the recommended method for state-of-the-art body odor sampling in mammals and other vertebrates.
- * TD tubes offer advantages for field studies due to ease of transport, storage, and high analytical performance.
- * While TD tubes provide comprehensive volatile profiles, cotton swabs may capture compounds from bacterial fermentation, and mobile GC-MS captures only the most abundant volatiles.
