2024 workshop - Kiel

On 15 and 16 May 2024, the Olfasense team hosted a multi-disciplinary group of specialists from around the world to discuss and share insights in the field of odour testing. This event provided an excellent platform for exchanging future trends and addressing current needs, and we're grateful to everyone who took part.

"I wanted to thank you for the fantastic event. I rarely attend such superbly organised events as yours. Many thanks for that!"

We were thrilled to welcome PD Dr. Dietmar Krautwurst as this year’s keynote speaker. Dr. Krautwurst is a project leader in the Taste & Odor Systems Reception research group at the Leibniz Institute of Food Systems Biology, Technical University of Munich. He delivered an engaging talk titled “Key Food Odorants and Their Receptors – Perfect Matches for Our Complex Sense of Olfaction.” His presentation was all about chemoreception principles and odorant detection. He demonstrated how super-sensitive odorant receptors could be used for quality control and other applications.

Following the keynote, Björn Maxeiner, Director and Head of P&M Testing at Olfasense, provided a comprehensive overview of sensory and molecular odour testing. He emphasized essential principles for achieving the highest quality standards.

Dr.-Ing. Laura Brosig, Senior Consultant, then demonstrated how important it is to use the right sampling methods in odour testing. She illustrated how both standardised and individualised test designs can meet study requirements through various case studies.

Subsequently, participants engaged in practical lab sessions covering a wide range of topics, including sample preparation, panel training, direct odour evaluation, comparative testing, indoor room evaluation, chamber testing, molecular screening, and GC sniffing. The hands-on sessions proved to be an excellent opportunity for attendees to develop their skills and exchange information on everyday challenges and solutions.

The first day concluded with a session by Corinna Kuhnert, perfumer and co-founder of Aloha Senses Perfumes. Using some of her amazing fragrance samples, Corinna introduced us to the world of high-quality fragrances, allowing participants to sniff and explore various scents.

Day two started with an interactive session by our Head of P&M Laboratory Alina Beier on selecting, training, and monitoring odour panelists. Attendees were given the opportunity to test their skills using the Olfasense odour wheel and sniffing sticks.

Next up, Rita Ribau Domingues, Senior Consultant at Olfasense GmbH, provided an overview of analytical sensory measures and affective sensory methods. Participants then tested their sensory skills in a comparative test of various types of liquorice. Subsequently, Olfasense GC specialist Dr. Svenja Senkale demonstrated molecular odour testing strategies such as GC sniffing to address the complexity of odour chemistry and perception. 

Dr. Andrew Meacham, Senior Consultant at Olfasense UK, wrapped up the lecture series with a discussion on selecting odour sources for odour treatment studies. He presented various case studies to illustrate the advantages and challenges of using synthetic and real odours in odour testing. Participants then returned to the Olfasense odour laboratories for more practical sessions.

Closing the Olfasense Odour Workshop 2024, Rita Ribau Domingues presented implicit neurological approaches to olfactory research. Her talk incluced a recent Olfasense case study, which validated the benefit of combining neural analysis with sensory methods, as a complementary approach for more conclusive results and to reaffirm hypotheses.

We thank all participants for making the 2024 Olfasense odour workshop on product and material testing a success. We hope it was a rewarding and insightful experience. For those who couldn’t attend, we invite you to subscribe to our newsletter at olfasense.com/noseletter to stay updated on future events.