Der menschlichen Duftchemie auf der Spur

Human body odours are based on an intricate interplay between skin bacteria and specific secretions of glands in the axillary region. In recent years the structure of the odorant volatiles and of amino‐acid conjugates acting as their secreted precursors were elucidated. Specific enzymes in skin bacteria cleaving the amino‐acid conjugates and thus releasing the odours were cloned, offering new targets to develop specific deodorant active molecules. At the same time, questions on the evolutionary significance of human body odours may be asked based on a number of population studies.     

Die Wiederentdeckung der Wöhlk‐Probe

Woehlk's test is a detection reaction for lactose and maltose from 1904. It was first used clinically for the analysis of sugars in urine. In science education the test can show in a simple way the lactose content of dairy products. This is interesting because many people react intolerant to lactose. The exact reaction mechanism of Woehlk reaction (similarly: Umikoff reaction, Woehlk‐Malfatti‐proof, Fearon's test) is still unknown despite many efforts.