"odor" news and stories

At Luxist, Deidre reported that a new scent called the Spirit of Scotland is to go on sale soon. Following in the footsteps of another unusual scent, the Spirit of Scotland is supposed to smell like malt whisky. While people have sample the scent and given it positive reviews, not everyone feels that it actually smells like whisky. Apparently, it has smoky, peaty notes with floral overtones. Honestly, it seems like you wouldn't want to walk around smelling like whisky all day, so it's probably just as well that the perfume is not an exact match for the spirit. Of course, if you already walk around smelling like whisky and are looking for a way to hide that, this could be the perfect product. 

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A few months ago, I mentioned that some food producers were testing out a new advertising strategy where they add smells to their packaging , trying to lure customers in with scents that promised how tasty their products would be. Grocery stores also appear to be applying this technique. The flyer pictured here, for example, is one I recently received in the mail from my local supermarket that tried to lure me with its sensory (scent-sory?) appeal.

To experience the smell, the oven door had to be "opened," but I was cautious in my approach because the warning label read "Do not open if you are highly sensitive to fragrances." How strong could this smell be? Keeping the flyer at a distance, just to be safe, I peeled back the label. It actually smelled pretty good and, much to my surprise, not entirely unlike the blueberry muffins it was trying to represent.

One small sample wasn't overwhelming, but I certainly can't imagine a whole store filled with them. Like the perfume samples that infest so many magazines, I can imagine advertisers increasing the strength of their scents until they're overwhelming. Walking through the bakery section and smelling fresh breads is one thing, but once the cereal aisle starts to smell I think the idea will lose a lot of its appeal.

Last week, Nicole gave us the lowdown on asparagus: its background, nutritional value, and tips for buying and cooking it. Still, some of you asparagus lovers, or haters, may still be wondering, 'why does asparagus make my urine smell funny?' There may be some of you who say that it doesn't make your urine smell funny, and you may be right.  According to an article by WebMD dietitian Elizabeth Somer, asparagus contains a sulfuric compound called mercaptan (asparagus.org lists a few other possible chemical culprits). When your body breaks mercaptan down into other components, the by-products create that distinctive bouquet. The same compound is found in rotten eggs, onions, garlic (asparagus is in the lily family too), and, yes, skunks. Some studies suggest that only certain people possess the gene necessary to break down asparagus and create the smell. Other research found that some people actually weren't capable of detecting the odor in various urine samples. So, maybe some of you are asparagus-proof, or maybe some of you just can't tell the difference.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]

Food scientists at the University of Georgia are working with a new type of soybean that supposedly has none of the "off" or "beany" taste sometimes associated with soy products, according to FoodNavigator-USA.com. The bean, known as L-Star, is a non-GMO variety that lacks lipoxygenase, the enzyme responsible for the odd flavor in question. Aside from a difference in taste, UGA scientists say that products made from L-Star may be more nutritious, as they won't have to undergo the "deodorizing" process that other soybeans are sometimes treated to. Products using L-Star soybeans may begin to appear in U.S. markets by next year.

The only instance I can think of where an odd flavor is really apparent is soy milk, which, to me, has a very distinct taste. I've never found tofu or soybeans to have strange or unpleasant flavor, however.