Human Odor: An Overview of Current Knowledge and Experimental Designs

The goal of this chapter is to provide an updated review and explanation of the main pathways that contribute to body odor formation. The chapter will provide a critical overview of experimental approaches and analytical instrumentation used in human odor analysis. The chapter will explore human odor from a physiological viewpoint, depicting the influence of genetics on human odor, skin glandular activity, as well as current research depicting skin sampling methods that have led worldwide research groups to exploit different analytical instrumentation for enhanced results. Discussion will cover the outcomes of these studies, their contribution to the field of body odor, and future directions, particularly in the advances in analytical instrumentation currently being employed to understand human scent composition.