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Development of analytical methodology to characterise and reconstruct smells of heritage objects
ID Paolin, Emma (Author), ID Strlič, Matija (Mentor) More about this mentor... This link opens in a new window

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Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present within heritage institutions can originate from objects, furnishings, visitors and staff, as well as from olfactory exhibitions. Historically, these emissions have been studied primarily as risk factors, to define material composition, conservation history, or degradation pathways. Identifying indoor volatiles is crucial, as reactive species can trigger adverse health effects in humans or promote the degradation of heritage objects in surrounding collections. However, this work focuses on the value of these volatiles in establishing comprehensive chemical and olfactory profiles, as volatile compounds are directly responsible for an object’s characteristic smell. As emissions vary by material, state of conservation, and age, several heritage objects were examined. The aim of this work was to develop an analytical pipeline for the sampling, analysis, reproduction, and validation of the smells of heritage objects. To validate this methodology, it was applied to objects from the National Museum of Slovenia, the reference collection of the Heritage Science Laboratory Ljubljana, and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and an olfactory detector (GC–MS/O) was applied for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the volatile compounds emitted by the objects. The conjunction with the olfactory port allows for the targeted identification of odour-active compounds, i.e. molecules present in concentrations high enough to be perceived by the human nose, and thus contribute to the overall smell. By combining chemical and olfactory data, a comprehensive olfactory profile of each object was obtained. Applying a sensomics-based approach, compounds essential for the olfactory profile were selected by determining the odour activity values (OAV), and combining this with sensory analysis of the holistic smell, which then guided the reproduction of the smell. Crucially, the goal was to reproduce the current smell emitted by the object rather than the original one, thereby establishing a methodology transferable across different heritage objects. The final step of this pipeline was the validation process to ensure the similarity between the reproduced smell and the original. In the case study of the historical perfume flask, this was achieved by combining chemical analysis, omission tests, and sensory assessment by a panel of trained and untrained panellists. The sensory results were confirmed by statistical analysis, using a combination of analysis of variance, Euclidean distance metrics, and paired t-tests to quantitatively evaluate the fidelity of the reproduced smell. Lastly, the use of these smells as part of olfactory exhibitions is discussed in terms of indoor air quality. By analysing selected commercial scents for museums, the research focused on identifying which new volatiles are introduced into heritage environments and comparing the findings with current guidelines on indoor volatile concentrations.

Language:English
Keywords:Volatile organic compounds, GC-MS, heritage smells
Work type:Doctoral dissertation
Organization:FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
Year:2026
PID:20.500.12556/RUL-190628 This link opens in a new window
Publication date in RUL:30.10.2026
Views:129
Downloads:51
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Secondary language

Language:Slovenian
Title:Razvoj analizne metodologije za opredelitev in rekonstrukcijo vonjav dediščinskih predmetov
Abstract:
Hlapne organske spojine (HOS), prisotne v zbirkah kulturne dediščine, lahko izvirajo iz predmetov, pohištva, obiskovalcev in osebja ter iz olfaktornih razstav. V preteklosti so bile te emisije preučevane predvsem kot dejavniki tveganja, za določanje sestave materialov, zgodovine konserviranja ali poti razgradnje. Identifikacija hlapnih snovi v zaprtih prostorih je ključnega pomena, saj lahko reaktivne zvrsti škodljivo vplivajo na zdravje ljudi ali pospešijo razgradnjo predmetov kulturne dediščine v bližini. V nasprotju s tem se to delo osredotoča na pomen hlapnih snovi pri vzpostavljanju celovitih kemijskih in olfaktornih profilov, saj so hlapne spojine neposredno odgovorne za značilen vonj predmeta. Ker se emisije HOS razlikujejo glede na material, stanje ohranjenosti in starost predmeta, sem pri raziskavah obravnavala več različnih predmetov kulturne dediščine. Cilj tega dela je bil razviti analizni postopek za vzorčenje, analizo, reprodukcijo in validacijo vonjev predmetov kulturne dediščine. Za validacijo te metodologije sem jo uporabila na predmetih iz Narodnega muzeja Slovenije, referenčne zbirke Laboratorija za dediščinsko znanost Ljubljana (Heritage Science Laboratory Ljubljana) in Egipčanskega muzeja v Kairu. Za kvalitativno in kvantitativno analizo hlapnih spojin, ki jih oddajajo predmeti, sem uporabila plinsko kromatografijo, sklopljeno z masno spektrometrijo in olfaktornim detektorjem (GC–MS/O). Povezava z olfaktornim detektorjem omogoča tarčno prepoznavanje olfaktorno aktivnih spojin, tj. molekul, ki so prisotne v dovolj visokih koncentracijah, da jih zazna človeški nos, in tako prispevajo k splošnemu vonju. Z združevanjem kemijskih in olfaktornih podatkov sem pridobila celovit olfaktorni profil vsakega predmeta. Z uporabo pristopa, ki temelji na senzomiki, sem spojine, bistvene za olfaktorni profil, izbrala z določanjem vrednosti aktivnosti vonja (OAV) in združevanjem tega s senzorično analizo celostnega vonja, kar je nato usmerjalo reprodukcijo vonja. Ključno je, da sem želela reproducirati trenutni vonj, ki ga oddaja predmet, in ne njegovega prvotnega vonja, razvita metodologija pa je prenosljiva na različne predmete kulturne dediščine. Zadnji korak tega postopka je bil proces validacije za zagotavljanje podobnosti med reproduciranim vonjem in izvirnikom. V študiji primera zgodovinske stekleničke za parfum sem to dosegla z združevanjem rezultatov kemijske analize, testov izpuščanja ter senzorične ocene usposobljenih in neusposobljenih ocenjevalcev. Senzorične rezultate sem obravnavala tudi statistično, pri čemer sem uporabila kombinacijo analize variance, metrike evklidske razdalje in parnih t-testov za kvantitativno oceno podobnosti reproduciranega vonja izvirnemu. Nazadnje sem obravnavala uporabo teh vonjev kot del olfaktornih razstav z vidika kakovosti zraka v zaprtih prostorih. Osredotočila sem se na analizo izbranih komercialnih vonjav za muzeje in na prepoznavanje, katere nove hlapne snovi se vnašajo v okolja kulturne dediščine, ter primerjala ugotovitve z veljavnimi smernicami o koncentracijah hlapnih snovi v zaprtih prostorih.

Keywords:Hlapne organske spojine, GC-MS, vonjave dediščine

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