Aromas Influencing the GABAergic System

Production and Characterization of Red Fruit Spirits Made from Red Raspberries, Blueberries, and Strawberries

This study demonstrated the feasibility of fermenting and distilling low-commercial-value red fruits such as red raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries to produce high-value red fruit spirits. The fermentation process was efficient, with all red berry wines achieving a notable ethanol conversion yield (46.33 to 66.31%), without the need for nutrient supplementation or fruit juice solid separation, which showed no significant effect on the quality of the final product. Small-scale copper Charentais alembic distillation of the fermented red fruit juices resulted in fruit spirits equivalent to 1%, 7%, and 2% of the initial volume for red raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, respectively. Except for the blueberry spirit, which had a lower volatile compound concentration (79.4 g/hL, absolute alcohol), all the produced red fruit spirits complied with legislation, including ethanol (37.9-40.2% v/v) and methanol (22.8-877.9 g/hL, absolute alcohol) concentrations and exhibited favorable aromatic profiles. The findings highlight that fermentation and distillation are straightforward, consistent, and reproducible methods, enabling the production of high-quality red fruit spirits from economically viable red fruit sources. This presents a significant opportunity in the spirits market, offering versatile applications as low-alcohol options, base spirits, or, with re-distillation, high-alcohol spirits.

Measurement of Stress Relief during Scented Cosmetic Product Application Using a Mood Questionnaire, Stress Hormone Levels and Brain Activation

Nowadays, consumers’ well-being plays a decisive role in the purchase of cosmetic products. Although factors influencing consumers' well-being are very subjective, companies strive to develop their products in such a way that a positive effect is likely. Therefore, methods are required to objectively explore and scientifically prove the product’s performance on humans. In this placebo-controlled study, a method was developed to evaluate relaxation or stress relief associated with one olfactory ingredient of a cosmetic product (face cream). Our experimental protocol included product testing in 25 healthy females, while an emotion questionnaire, analysis of saliva samples regarding the concentration of the hormones cortisol and α-amylase and mobile EEG measurement for quantification of the alpha brain waves before and after stress induction were conducted. It was shown that with this experimental design, the sample with the ingredient produced significant stress relief, as evidenced by significantly less negative emotion, significantly lowered cortisol levels and showed a trend towards a significant increase in alpha activity compared to placebo application. Our data provide evidence that this method is suitable for analyzing the differences between the two samples. In the future, this method can be utilized in the current or a further optimized form to evaluate the psychophysiological effects of cosmetic products on humans.