It is widely known that we lack of vocabulary that represents the smell. However, it is also true that various words are used in expression and classification of smells and fragrances, including in the field of fragrance development. We classify such usage of words into four categories depending on the purpose and scene, namely identification, storage, depiction and evaluation. We discuss the specific functions of language in each category, referring terms of odor classification. Also, we consider the significance of onomatopoeia and synesthetic expression frequently seen characteristically in the evaluation. And we suggest the possibility the act of searching for negative element in a fragrance creation, not only to improve the words of smell, may affect the olfactory sensitivity.

The objective portion of odor sense is studied. The suitable expression of odor is important to clarify the objective region of odor. The deviation odor expression like QDA method is practical for ordinary odor explanations.

By using the easy sensory test device consisted of auto-dilution gas-tight syringe, the expression of deviation odor to the different center odor is tested. Then the nature of deviation odor may be constant against different center odor. Finally masking effect is quantified by using suitable odor expression and easy sensory device.

The odor quality is an important subject related to complaints and unpleasantness about offensive odors, however, antipollution measures have not been enough investigated up to now. In this paper, it was shown that the expression of offensive odor using descriptive words had large individual differences, and the selection of common words to describe odor quality were expected for the evaluation of odor quality. Then, 98 everyday odors described by common words were classified by using cluster analysis, and divided from 4 to 19 types. Further, the quite new“safe-dangerous”axis was extracted for the classification of everyday odors. Lastly, the method was proposed to select appropriate descriptive words for evaluation of odor quality.

Verbally expressing odor qualities are difficult because of complex olfactory processing. Based on previous knowledge of odor description using adjectives, we investigated the effectiveness of onomatopoeic words in expressing odors. Ratings for odors against 23 onomatopoeic words were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and the geometric (angular-round) and affective (positive-negative) dimensions were extracted. Although the possibility that associative learning between odors and onomatopoeia may have been achieved, this learning effect was not generalized for expressions of unlearned odors. Moreover, when a pair must communicate about the odors using onomatopoeia, role-sharing (between a sender and receiver) strategy was effective.

There are many kinds of wine. Various terms are used to tell the characters of wines to consumers and to evaluate the quality of wine by professionals. The famous aroma wheel of wine was designed to provide standard terms to recognize and describe wine aroma. On the other hand, professionals use many terms which are related to the cause of aroma. Wine aroma is influenced by many factors, e.g., grapes, fermentation, and aging. Even though there are many things unclear in wine aroma, I would introduce our knowledge up to date.

In this study, we tried a vapor-agar contact technique with Escherichia coli as a test bacterium for the determination of antibacterial activity of fragrance material. However, we sometimes faced to a problem that, although the growth of E. coli was completely inhibited in the inhibition circle, it was also restrained even in the outer area of inhibition circle（non-inhibition area）depending on the fragrance molecules. To solve this, we proposed a method to examine the restraint of E. coli growth in the non-inhibition area by digging the agar and directly determining E. coli number on the agar surface. With this method, a coupling effect of two fragrance molecules on antibacterial activity was evaluated. Antibacterial activity was hardly shown by linalyl acetate solely. However, an increase in the antibacterial activity was observed when linalyl acetate was mixed with linalool, suggesting a coupling effect of fragrance molecules for improvement of each other’s activity.