Physiology of olfaction
Vomeronasal, trigeminal and olfactory. These are the three systems by which humans detect chemical stimuli present in the environment. The first perceives the pheromones whose main task is to ensure the reproductive and preservation functions within the species. Trigeminal alerts and protects from exposure to irritants that could cause disturbances in other organs. While the third, of vital importance for human survival, perceive unpleasant odors generally associated with harmful substances, polluting gases and decomposing food. It also collaborates with the sense of taste in the perception of tastes and reinforces the memory of smells (between 5,000 and 10,000 different nuances) and the events associated with them.
The process begins with the inspiration of the odorants present in the air through the olfactory receptors of the nasal mucosa, which triggers a nervous flow between the neurons in the nasal epithelium and their axons that, in groups, cross the sieve lamina of the ethmoid bone until reaching the olfactory bulb. This synaptic structure called the olfactory glomerulus integrates, concentrates and amplifies the olfactory signal received by the cerebral cortex through the olfactory tract. Specifically, the pyriform cortex of the temporal lobe, close to the optic chiasm. Finally, the signal enters the limbic system (inheritance of the amphibious past of all humans and repository of the basic instincts) to leave there imprinted the olfactory memory, which will instinctively determine the personal code of pleasant and unpleasant smells, of those who help or repel reproduction, which are associated with the desire for things or their almost instinctive rejection, first, and consciously, later.
80% of the taste is smell
The importance of smell in human beings transcends their own physiology and originates a culture that has been the heritage of humanity since the beginning of time. While it is true that a majority has developed more rigorously the culture of sight, organized around colors, shapes and methodological design. Even in some countries the culture of taste is more appreciated for its nutritional condition, although 80 percent of the perception of what we eat is the aroma, smell. In the future, as humanity increases its cultural heritage and develops its technology at a higher level, it will be possible to digitize scents as it digitizes today’s sight (photography) and it will be possible to send scents as voice messages or images are sent. Some years ago, the famous Spanish chef Andoni Luis Aduriz experimented with the digital transmission of smells in Madrid Fusión. Nowadays, aroma generators, odor recorders, and electronic noses are used for a wide range of olfactory functions, not precisely in the hotel and catering industry, but for less poetic purposes such as measuring the level of pollution existing in our cities.
It is easy to guess, therefore, the extraordinary acceptance that these new olfactory technologies would have in the tourist industry. If a human pituitary is capable of detecting 10,000 different fragrances, how many more could detect a bionic nose oriented to implausible coupage of smells, as today are achieved in the field of gastronomy and oenology? And if bionics helps to increase our human potential, let’s imagine one hundred thousand, three hundred thousand unique aromas that identify 300,000 hotels on five continents. I am not only referring to the corporate aroma industry, which is currently under development, but also to the virtualization of human olfactory culture through creations, exhibitions and unique shows of tourist interest.
A step in this direction has been taken by a French (of course) perfume atelier: L’Officine Universelle Buly à Paris. Created at the end of the 18th century by the Parisian perfumer Jean-Vincent Bully, the workshop soon became popular for its toilette vinaigres (toilet vinegar, lotions). One of its first perfumes, Eau Triple Bigarade de Seville, is a tribute of mint, rosemary, and citrus to the capital of Seville and its factotum Figaro. Bully inspired Honoré de Balzac the character of César Birotteau in the Human Comedy. Two centuries later, the head designers of Ramdane Touhami and Victoire de Taillac have set out to lead L’Officine beyond its headquarters, but without leaving the French capital.
Touhami and his wife Victoire selected eight perfumers from such exclusive brands as Givaudan, Robertet, and Symrise and invited them on a tour of the Louvre museum. Behind closed doors, just for them, with carte blanche to choose the work of art that would inspire them with perfume through painting or engraving. Out of some 5,000 works, the perfumers chose eight works featuring people (not a single still living among them) and seven of them represented by women. Despite the originality of the project, the restrictions imposed by the museum posed a major challenge for perfumers of the stature of Daniela Andrier (Givaudan), the right-handed eye of Miuccia Prada. The essences could not be fumigated, so it was necessary to travel to Japan to bring atomized diffusers made of harmless glass for the artistic content exhibited. The fragrances originated by the experiment, in short, are now sold for 150 euros in the museum shop, along with the paintings that inspired them, available in postcards and scented posters.
How much of what has been said could not inspire the curators of essences, museums, publishing houses, hotels, restaurants and experiential travels?
Fernando Gallardo |
