Butane‐2,3‐dione: the Key Contributor to Axillary and Foot Odor Associated with an Acidic Note

Abstract

Human body odor, which contains several volatile organic compounds, possesses various odor qualities. To identify key volatile compounds responsible for the common unpleasant odors derived from human axillae and feet, the odor quality and intensity of 118 human axillae and feet were directly evaluated by sniffing, and odor compounds obtained from the subjects were identified. Furthermore, the sensory differences in odor intensity and quality with and without addition of butane-2,3-dione were evaluated by using the visual analog scale (VAS). An acidic odor was a common unpleasant note in human axillae and feet. Butane-2,3-dione was identified as a key compound associated with this odor. Strong positive correlations between the amount of butane-2,3-dione, and the odor intensities of axillae and feet were observed, and the addition of butane-2,3-dione solution to blended short-chain fatty-acid solutions caused significantly increased VAS values of axillary-like odor, unpleasantness, and odor intensity compared to those of each solution without added butane-2,3-dione.

Odor in textiles: A review of evaluation methods, fabric characteristics, and odor control technologies

“…67 Carboxen-polydimethylsiloxane SPME fibers have been used in the extraction of volatiles from scoured and unscoured sheep wool. 69 Skin odors transferred to fabrics from the human axillae 26,70 and hands 71 have been extracted with divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane coated fibers.…”

Activated carbon/titanium dioxide composite to adsorb volatile organic compounds associated with human body odor

“…Body odor is mainly generated by bacterial metabolism and oxidation of sweat and lipids on the human skin. It consists of various volatile compounds such as short-chain fatty acids, ketones, alcohols, and aldehydes [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Recently, odorants are used as disease biomarkers to develop some non-invasively tools for diseases monitoring [ 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”

“…Therefore, odor-causing compounds vary on different body parts and on the same body parts of different individuals. The authors have previously reported that the axillary odor of Japanese men can be categorized into three major types: milk-like odor (type M; 57%) cumin-like odor (type C; 18%), and acid-like odor (type A; 16%) [ 3 ].…”

“…Recently, odorants are used as disease biomarkers to develop some non-invasively tools for diseases monitoring [4,5,6]. In a previous study, the authors identified diacetyl as a key malodor-generating compound released by the scalp, axillae, and feet [3,7]. On the other hand, Zeng et al discovered that in addition to acetic acid, 3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid (3M2H) is a key contributor to axillary odor [8].…”

Characterization of the Axillary Microbiota of Japanese Male Subjects with Spicy and Milky Odor Types by Pyrosequencing

“…Axillary odor can be quite strong and shows considerable interindividual variation. Hara et al 2015 evaluated the quality and intensity of axillary odor in healthy Japanese males. They found that most Japanese males 57% have a weak, milk-like odor, while some males 18% have a strong spicy odor.…”