Michelle Leus

About

Flavour is a very important aspect of food and by smelling something we can assess if it something we know, if it is ripe and good to eat, or if something is no longer good to consume.
The compounds responsible for flavour can be complex and at trace levels. To identify and assess the contribution of odour active compounds we use gas chromatography mass spectroscopy with concurrent odour evaluation (GC-O-MS). This means people smell the individual compounds that make up wine, beer, cheese and we have equipment that will put a name to these compounds. We also use a range of other isolation and identification techniques such as Proton Transfer Mass Spectroscopy (PTRMS).
I did an MSc in Chemistry at Otago and have worked on a variety of research projects. Since working with flavour volatiles I have a completely new respect for a human nose.