The Analytical Investigation of Electrocoagulation of Perfume Profiles for the Odor-Active Compounds ^†

In this research, a miniaturized electrocoagulation (EC) system has been employed for the treatment of odor-active compounds in 2 mL small-scale perfume extracts. The system utilized an electrochemical cell with two spring coil electrodes with the liquid perfume sample directly applied to the power supply at 9V. This EC system facilitated the electrochemical reaction of the compounds, inducing subsequent changes in their volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles within the extracts. The VOCs in the samples, collected at different times in the system before and after EC treatment, were tentatively identified using headspace-solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for compound identification of the total intensity of chromatogram peak areas corresponding with retention time (R_t). The specific peak of interest was identified by comparing its mass spectrum with standard compound mass spectra. This comparison was based on NIST22 library, which assisted with the accurate identification of the targeted compound.

The outcomes revealed variations in terms of qualitative analysis of odor-active compounds in the samples following the EC treatment as final product, resulting in enhanced fruity and floral smells with the possible VOC products such as hexanol (fruity and alcoholic), sabinene (oily-peppery), pseudolimonene (fatty spicy aroma odor), Benzene,(3-methylbutyl)-(floral green rose), 2,4-Heptadienal,2,4-dimethyl-(green pungent fruity spicy odor), and isobornyl acetate (camphoraceous earthy pine balsam).

The developed EC technique demonstrates potential for cost-effective adjustment of essential oil and perfume quality. This highlights its applicability in the field of modifying and enhancing the characteristics of essential oils and perfumes in a cost-efficient manner.