Air inside a dishwasher: Odour characterization and strategy for measuring odour changes

Abstract

AbstractThe use of home appliances can cause various problems. In the case of dishwashers, the generation of bad odours is one of the most serious problems for users. Odours inside dishwashers are mainly caused by the presence of food residues. A study using gas chromatography‐olfactometry (GC‐O has been carried out to establish how different food residues produce differences in the odours found in dishwashers. A total of 49 compounds were identified in the 109 odour zones detected. Dimethyl trisulfide and methanethiol/dimethyl sulfide were the most significant compounds in most of the situations studied. Some of these compounds were selected to generate an ‘odorous atmosphere’ that was subjected to chemical and sensory analysis. Treatments for the elimination of odours, designed to alter the odours, were applied to this atmosphere before performing chemical (GC‐MS) and sensory analyses. The sensory analysis was carried out to determine the intensity and hedonic tone of the odorous atmosphere. Differences between treatments were found.