Human neonatal responses to androstenone

Poster P327 session VII: Olfactory Psychophysics & Clinical Studies; Central Olfaction; Aims. Human newborns show equal attraction to the odors of amniotic. fluid (AF) and mothers’ colostrum [1]. As 5-a-androst-16-en-3-. one (An) has been found in both fluids [2, 3], we studied it as a. potential vector of this perinatal odor continuity and of neonatal. attraction to the smell of breast and milk [4]. Methods. Two studies. were run. 1) We recorded the behavior of 16 newborns (3 days) and. 26 adults exposed to a saturating water solution of An and to 3. reference odorants [butyric acid, B; vanilla, V; water, W]. 2) We videotaped. 26 newborns (3 days) being administered 7 stimuli: 4 dilution. …

Responsiveness of human neonates to the odor of 5alpha-androst-16-en-3-one: A behavioral paradox?

The odorous steroid 5alpha-androst-16-en-3-one (AND) occurs in numerous biological fluids in mammals, including man, where it is believed to play a chemocommunicative role. As AND was recently detected in milk and amniotic fluid, sensitivity and hedonic responses to this substance were assessed in human neonates. To this aim, respiration and facial expressions were recorded in 3-day-old newborns in response to aqueous solutions of AND, ranging from 500ng/mL to 0.5 fg/mL. Although analyses of respiratory rate did not lead to clear-cut results, the newborns changed their facial expressions at concentrations not detected by adults in a triangle test. Newborns displayed negative facial actions …

Do overlapping odor constituents explain undifferentiated neonatal attraction to amniotic fluid and human milk?

ISBN-10: 3-938896-38-9 ISBN-13: 978-3-938896-38-9; International audience

Identification of odor active substances in human amniotic fluid

Poster P326 session VII: Olfactory Psychophysics & Clinical Studies; Central Olfaction; Objectives. Physiological evidence indicates that olfaction could. already function in the human fetus [1]. Right after birth the odor. of amniotic fluid (AF) is detectable to newborns and seems to. attract [2] and calm them [3]. Such early attraction may derive. from fetal learning/memory, and may help newborns adapt to the. postnatal environment. The chemosensory basis of AF. attractiveness has not been investigated yet, and this study aimed. to characterize odor active compounds therein. Methods. The. flavor profile of AF was monitored by descriptive sensory. evaluation using an adult panel, while the…

The influence of storage conditions on flavour changes in human milk

http://www.sciencedirect.com/ ; http://www.elsevier.com/; International audience; The effects of freeze-storage on human milk have been investigated with regard to sensory changes and modifications in the molecular composition of constituent odour-active volatiles. Sensory evaluation showed that fishy-metallic odour attributes are generated during storage, as are rancid-sweaty odour notes, which were described by panellists to be highly unpleasant. To monitor the dynamics of off-odour development in human milk, sensory evaluation in both orthonasal and retronasal mode was performed at defined time intervals of storage, with parallel evaluation of human milk samples that had been heated prio…

The NAOMI (Nasal Odorant Metabolites) consortium: an international, multidisciplinary consortium investigating how metabolites resulting from nasal enzymatic odorant metabolism can shape odor perception

International audience; A functional sense of smell is essential for evaluating and enjoying food, receiving information about conspecifics, and detecting threats via airborne chemical cues. Olfactory dysfunction has been associated with an impaired quality of life, reflected by a higher incidence of undesirable mental states such as depression and social insecurity. Addressing and overcoming related olfactory dysfunction issues require a detailed understanding of peripheral and central processes involved in olfaction. Consequently, there is a growing body of research unravelling molecular and cellular interactions that shape olfactory sensation. Recent studies have demonstrated that in the…

Human sweat odour conjugates in human milk, colostrum and amniotic fluid

International audience; Using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry we identified for the first time glutamine-N-alpha-conjugates of the fatty acids (E)/(Z)-3-methylhex-2-enoic acid and (R)/(S)-3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid as well as cysteinylglycine-S-conjugates of (R)/(S)-3-methyl-3-sulphanylhexan-1-ol and (R)/(S)-3-sulphanylhexan-1-ol as constituents of human milk and colostrum. The glutamine-N-alpha-conjugates were detected also in human amniotic fluids. The mean values of glutamine-N-alpha-conjugate of (R)/(S)-3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid were highest in colostrums with a range of <0.1-382 mu g/kg, followed by the mature human milk with values from <0.1 to 39.…

Chemical and behavioral approaches in the elucidation of olfactory interactions between human mothers and newborns

Unconditional response to offensive smells: what we learn from newborns'reactions

Years after years, the accumulation of results permits us to better. understand the development of human food preferences during the. lifespan. The foetal and neonatal periods appear to be very important. in this process. Neonates are attracted to volatile compounds. being present in the amniotic environment (Marlier et al., 1997). Women who consumed garlic, alcohol, anise, or carrot flavour in. late pregnancy produce offsprings that manifest positive responses. towards these odorants, for durations ranging from hours, days to. months (Hepper, 1995; Faas et al., 2000; Schaal et al., 2000; Mennella. et al., 2001). After birth, the exposition to an artificial odorant. (camomile) spread on the…

Symposium Offensive odours - Chemistry, Behaviour, Development and Language: Introduction

International audience