Using a bio-inspired surface resonance plasmon electronic nose for fundamental research on human olfaction

Electronic noses are artificial devices designed to detect and classify odors, used for many industrial applications but they can also be a tool for fundamental research on the chemical senses. Indeed, one major issue in research on olfaction is that the relationship between the structure of volatile olfactory compounds and the perception they evoke is still little understood. Acknowledging the importance of biology in the equation, the present study offers a new way to approach to stimulus-percept problem in olfaction, 1/ by considering as stimulus the interaction between odorants and olfactory receptors and 2/ by extending the measure of percept and considering the issue of interindividual diversity. To this end, we used a bio-inspired surface resonance plasmon electronic nose (e-nose) and acquired response patterns for 20 representative odorants. We also collected perceptual ratings (on intensity, pleasantness, familiarity, edibility and irritation) and verbal description of the perceptual experience associated to these odorants in a sample of 74 individuals. Combining Principal Component Analysis and Dissimilarity Matrix Analysis, we showed a relationship between the e-nose space and both measures of perception, but only for odorants eliciting homogenous responses among the subjects. This study thus shows the relevance of a bio-inspired e-nose as a model of olfactory receptors interactions for the study of natural olfaction.