Revision as of 14:48, 2 July 2013

Odor is the organoleptic attribute perceptible by the olfactory organ on sniffing certain volatile substances. The odor intensity of waxes plays an important role in some industries as food, food packing and cosmetics where this organoleptic property is used as a reference to define a wax as high quality.

Methods

The odors of some natural and petroleum waxes are somewhat pronounced, such as the odor of beeswax, and the carnauba wax. They are even more pronounced when the waxes are melted^[1].

Some description of limits on wax odor often appears in specifications for some waxes. The regulations and guidelines vary from country to country. It is neither possible nor practical to provide all guidance or regulations of different countries.

For the determination of this organoleptic property is needed at least 5 people who will be panel members. And they must agree on the odor intensity scale (see Table 1). Using a scraper, prepare test specimens of approximately 10 g of wax in thin shavings, placing them on odor-free paper or glassine. The wax sample is evaluated for odor by each panel member and assigned the number corresponding to the odor scale description best fitting the intensity of the odor^[2].

It is highly recommended to test again the wax sample but this time the sample wax is melted, and compared with an approved standard.

References

1. ↑ Warth, A. H.; The Chemistry and Technology of Waxes. Reinhold Publishing Corporation. Second Edition, p. 612 – 614
2. ↑ Annual Book of ASTM-Standards (American Society for Testing and Materials), Petroleum Products, Lubrications. (1999). West Conshohocken, Sect. 5