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Body odor samples from infants and post-pubertal children differ in their volatile profiles

Diana Owsienko1, Lisa Goppelt1, Katharina Hierl2

  • 1Chair of Aroma and Smell Research, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.

Communications Chemistry
|March 22, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Body odor chemical composition changes with sexual maturation, impacting parent-child communication. Researchers analyzed infant and adolescent body odors to understand these developmental scent shifts.

Area of Science:

  • Human chemical ecology
  • Developmental biology
  • Olfactory communication

Background:

  • Body odors evolve during development, influencing parent-child interactions.
  • The specific molecular changes driving these scent shifts remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the molecular basis of body odor changes during human development.
  • To compare the chemical profiles of body odors between infants and post-pubertal adolescents.

Main Methods:

  • Combined instrumental analysis (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) and sensory analysis.
  • Quantified specific volatile organic compounds, including carboxylic acids, steroids, 6-methylhept-5-en-2-one (6MHO), geranyl acetone (GA), and squalene (SQ).

Main Results:

  • Body odor composition shows similarities between infants and post-pubertal children.
  • Post-pubertal individuals exhibit higher odor dilution factors for carboxylic acids.
  • Specific steroids (5α-androst-16-en-3-one and 5α-androst-16-en-3α-ol) are present in post-pubertal samples.
  • Squalene concentrations are higher in post-pubertal children, while 6MHO and GA levels are similar across age groups.

Conclusions:

  • Sexual maturation is associated with distinct alterations in body odor chemistry.
  • Further research is needed to determine if these chemical changes explain variations in parental olfactory perception.

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