Restoring the old smell, preserving a special smell will be 'extinct'

Researchers are developing a variety of techniques to restore lost flavors in the past and preserve existing flavors for the future, such as markets, libraries, etc.

In life there are very special smells like the smell in taverns, libraries, used book stores, the smell of markets . as part of our culture. However, these peculiar and quite familiar smells are in danger of "not returning" by the rapid change of life.

Not forever

Recall the smell of a leather-bound book that had just been taken down from a deep bookshelf . The yellow pages were covered with dust. Before opening the book to read, we inhaled the book smells full.

The smell of familiar things, like those of old books, is part of our 'intangible heritage' but has not been well protected - (Image: Getty Images / BBC).

Why is the smell of an old book or a town important? According to the BBC, these particular odors have cultural value . When old books are damaged, discarded, or strictly preserved in specialized rooms, it is more difficult for us to experience these flavors.

Alex Rhys-Taylor - Goldsmiths University, specializing in urban spatial experience - said his research proves that we can understand a place's economic and cultural background with its smell.

For example, taking a deep breath in central London, we can hear the smell of curry, the pub and the car. These smells give us a clear sense of a place. Moreover, it also shows the history of migration of residents here.

However, the specific smell specific to a place where everyone smells is not forever. They change with our movement, globalization, national exchanges. Today, there are similar smells in all cities like roasted coffee, casserole . while the specific smells of one place disappear, or are overwhelmed by new smells.

Restoring and preserving special flavors

Cecilia Bembibre - a researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Heritage Studies, University of London - is developing various techniques to restore lost flavors in the past and preserve current flavors for the future. . Bembibre's work is to preserve odors - an area less well studied but a legacy of our sense of smell and smell.

Scientists expose polymer fibers in an odor environment so that odor-causing chemical compounds in the air attach to the polymer fibers. They then analyzed the polymer fiber samples in the lab, dissolved the compounds that stuck to the fibers, separated them and identified each one to formulate a fragrance.

Another method is gas chromatographic analysis - very common in perfume, food and beverage production. It allows the identification of volatile odor compounds.

The third way is to use the nose . A group of people will describe one / a number of smells together, or odourisation / mixing specialists will be involved in describing the scents.

Kate McLean, another researcher, tries to map the taste distribution by geographic region and also includes changes that change over time, such as the smell of the morning and the afternoon in the same area, such as the smell. of a street in Shanghai or the summer smell of Le Marais, Paris.

The sensorymaps website she founded also considered the smell of the past as the smell of Widnes, an old soap-producing town in the 19-20 century. Today, the current scent of this place is very different from the old smell. McLean research allows us to experience the smells of the past and the present.

Why is the special smell not a legacy?

According to Cecilia Bembibre, scent conservation is an aspect of heritage conservation, but often forgotten. Cultural works such as galleries, museums, and souvenir houses mainly focus on the sight (see), very little focus on the smell (smell).

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has registered customs, oral art, performance . but the smell has not been recorded although the role of smell in many customs is very clear. , like the Spanish patio flower festival or the holy procession procession in Popayan (Colombia). Although the smell is forgotten as a heritage, many aroma enthusiasts are still working hard to smell This particular meaning in life is preserved.