The Odor of Leather

Leather has a typical odor that varies depending on the type of leather. Whereas many other materials should preferably be odorless, a typical leather odor is desired. It is an important quality feature. So far the compounds causing the leather odor could not be clearly defined. For this research work, different leathers from different application areas were chosen. Depending on the manufacturing technology the leathers showed different nuances of leather odor. Published herein are the results from analysis of leathers by Gaschromatography-Odorimetry (GC-O), Aroma-extract-dilution analysis (AEDA), Gas chromatography-Mass-Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Stable-Isotope-Dilution-Analysis (SIDA) for identifying and quantifying substances accountable for certain leather odors. Furthermore, it points out from which stages of leather manufacturing the leather odor originates and if it can be influenced. Alternative methods for identification and quantification of substances relevant to odor are discussed regarding their significance.