Sensory Evaluation of a Receptor-Guided Mixture Designed to Approximate Methyl Eugenol Odor Quality

Reconstructing the odor quality of a target compound using alternative aroma ingredients remains a challenge in flavor science and is largely guided by empirical sensory evaluation. As a proof of concept, this study investigated whether human olfactory receptor response patterns can inform candidate selection using methyl eugenol as a model odorant. Functional assays confirmed that methyl eugenol activated OR10G7, OR5K1, and OR2J2, whereas its structural analog, eugenol, predominantly activated OR10G7. To address receptor-response differences between methyl eugenol and eugenol, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal were selected through preliminary sensory evaluation and combined with eugenol to formulate a mixture designed to approximate the target odor quality (Mix). In preliminary exploratory assessments involving six panelists over two sessions, Mix was selected as more similar to methyl eugenol than eugenol in 11 of 12 panelist-session observations in the 2-AFC test; the distance evaluation showed the same directional pattern. Napping and check-all-that-apply (CATA) profiling were descriptively consistent with a directional shift of Mix toward methyl eugenol; notes were not fully reproduced. Dynamic headspace GC–MS analysis showed that eugenol predominated in the DHS-recovered fraction. Collectively, these findings suggest that olfactory receptor response patterns can provide a mechanistically informed basis for narrowing candidate selection, while sensory evaluation can be used to assess whether the resulting mixture perceptually approximates the target odor quality.