Noise and accustomation: A pilot study of trained assessors' olfactory performance.

Johanna Trautmann,Daniel Mörlein,Jan Gertheiss,Lisa Meier-Dinkel

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0174697

Johanna Trautmann, Daniel Mörlein + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0174697

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Abstract

While recent studies suggest an influence of noise on olfactory performance, it is unclear as to what extent the influence varies between subjects who are accustomed to noise and those who are not. Two groups of panelists were selected: a University panel usually working under silent conditions and an abattoir panel usually working on the slaughter line with abattoir noise. Odor discrimination, odor identification, and odor detection thresholds were studied. Furthermore, a sensory quality control task using 40 boar samples was performed. All tests were accomplished both with and without extraneous noise recorded at an abattoir (70 dB) using headphones. Contrary to the researchers’ expectations, abattoir noise hardly affected the olfactory tests nor was the quality control task impaired. Abattoir noise did not influence the perceived intensity of boar taint and the classification results of the testers, regardless of whether they were accustomed to such noise or not. The results indicate that sensory quality control can be conducted in a manufacturing environment with constant noise without diminishing the assessors’ performance.

Highlights

The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the effect of noise on the olfactory performance of human subjects
Our decision to focus on olfactory performance as affected by noise stems from the recommendations for good sensory practices stating that a sensory facility should be located away from areas with extraneous noise [1]
Abattoir noise significantly impaired the performance of the abattoir panel [t(9) t = -2.29, p = 0.02; d = -0.72] compared to the silent condition

Summary

Introduction

The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the effect of noise on the olfactory performance of human subjects. We applied standardized odor detection threshold and odor identification tests as well as a more complex odor evaluation task—the latter of which is routinely applied in quality control of foods using the human sense of smell. We decided to involve two groups of trained assessors because these are commonly used for such sensory quality control tasks. In several routine sensory quality control situations assessors evaluate odors/flavors in the presence of various process noises.

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