JP2007159919A - Evaluation method of perfume - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an evaluation method of a perfume that can evaluate an effect of the perfume on a human being's mental condition on a condition equivalent to that in everyday life by minimizing stress of a subject in the case of measurement. <P>SOLUTION: The evaluation method evaluates the perfume by giving the perfume to the subject. The subject stays in a room having retention of perfume, where a perfume spray apparatus is included while carrying portable long-term electrocardiography recorder under operation. The perfume is evaluated by spraying the perfume into the room having retention of perfume and analyzing the relation between spraying of the perfume and measured data of the long-term electrocardiography recorder. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a method for evaluating a fragrance.

It is known that a fragrance | flavor component has a sedative effect of a psychiatric effect and a promotion effect according to the kind. For this reason, when a state of increased mentality is caused by physical or mental stress, the scent can be calmed by the fragrance. In addition, when a mental enhancement state is desired, a fragrance having an enhancing action can be used.

In particular, due to an increase in stress in recent years, a method for relieving stress with a fragrance component having a sedative effect has been proposed. For example, a method of orally or transdermally administering an active ingredient to a person, an aromatherapy that vaporizes a fragrance composition and inhales the vapor thereof, and the like have been performed for a long time. More specifically, it has been proposed to promote arousal by absorbing bitter orange essential oil (Patent Document 1) and jasmine lactone (Patent Document 2) from the nasal mucosa, oral mucosa or lung tissue. It has also been proposed to use low boiling components of cedarwood oil (α-pinene, α-cedrene, β-cedrene, caryophyllene, etc.) as essential oils for sedation (Patent Document 3).

However, the sedative effects of these components are not determined by academic evaluation results, but by empirical knowledge or sensory tests. In the future, objective and reproducible evaluation methods will be required to study the effects of fragrances on the mental state.

In Patent Document 4 and Non-Patent Document 1, a method is described in which an evaluation target compound is applied using a mask, and the balance of the autonomic nerve is measured by electrocardiogram measurement during sleep onset and sleep. However, since the mask is used in such a method, the test is performed in a situation away from daily life, and the stress due to the use of the mask is likely to affect the test result.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-128234 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-40911 JP-A-5-255688 International Publication No. 01/058435 Pamphlet Automatic Neuroscuence: Basic and Clinical 108 (2003) pp. 79-86

In view of the above situation, the present invention provides a fragrance evaluation method capable of minimizing the stress of a subject at the time of measurement and evaluating the influence of the fragrance on a human mental state under the same conditions as daily life. It is intended.

The present invention is a method for evaluating a fragrance by applying a fragrance to a subject, and the subject has a fragrance retention property provided with a fragrance spraying device in a state of being equipped with a portable long-term electrocardiogram recording device in an operating state. The evaluation is performed by spraying the fragrance on the fragrance retention room and analyzing the relationship between the fragrance spray and the measurement data of the electrocardiogram for the long time ECG recording device. This is a method for evaluating perfume.

It is preferable that the said fragrance | flavor spraying apparatus has a spray control means by the operation from the outdoors, or is provided with a timer.
It is preferable that the fragrance | flavor spraying apparatus provided with the said timer opens and closes an electromagnetic valve by sequence control using a power relay and a timer, and controls spraying of fragrance | flavor by interrupting compressed air.
It is preferable that spraying of the fragrance is performed a plurality of times with a spray time and a residence time.
The evaluation is preferably performed in a state in which the subject is awake.
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

This invention is for evaluating the influence of the fragrance | flavor with respect to a human spirit in the state without a test subject's stress at the time of a measurement. Examples of conventional methods include methods described in Patent Document 4 and Non-Patent Document 1. However, since these methods use a mask with respect to the subject, there is a drawback that the stress due to the mask affects the result. Since the human mental state reflects the influence of stress very sensitively, in the masked state, the masking itself becomes stress and affects the test result. Further, since the masked state is not a normal state in daily life, it cannot be said to be a method for completely evaluating a mental state in a state equivalent to normal daily life. In addition, since it is not possible to simply compare the state where the mask is removed and the state where the mask is removed, it is not possible to accurately compare the influence of the fragrance on the mental state. Moreover, since the spraying of the fragrance can be performed a plurality of times by providing the spraying time and the residence time, the method of the present invention can know the relationship between the fragrance and the human spirit with higher accuracy. On the other hand, in the evaluation of the fragrance by the mask, since the application of the fragrance cannot be controlled in such a form, the relationship between the fragrance and the human spirit cannot be known with high accuracy.

In the method of the present invention, a portable long-term electrocardiogram recording apparatus is used. That is, by using a portable electrocardiogram recording device, the subject can move freely, and the electrocardiogram can be continuously measured in a state almost equivalent to daily life. Furthermore, since the portable long-term electrocardiogram recording apparatus is small and lightweight, the subject's stress due to wearing it is extremely small. Furthermore, since the measurement can be performed regardless of the posture of the subject, it is possible to measure the mental state under an arbitrary condition such as reading, watching TV, and working labor. In addition, being in an operating state means a state in which the apparatus is operating in a normal manner with electric power.

The portable long-term electrocardiogram recording apparatus as described above is not particularly limited, and, for example, a RAC series manufactured by Nihon Kohden Corporation can be used.

The electrocardiogram obtained by the long-time electrocardiogram recording apparatus can be analyzed based on various known elements. Among them, the HF interval (high frequency (0.15) of RR interval fluctuation and heartbeat fluctuation can be analyzed. -0.45 Hz))) amplitude and frequency, LF component (low frequency (0.04-0.15 Hz) amplitude, etc. As a result of examination, the influence of the fragrance on the mental state is The HF component of heart rate variability is an indicator of cardiac vagus nerve activity and quantitatively reflects respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Since it is considered as a resting function of the cardiopulmonary system, it is said that the HF component reflecting the size reflects the degree of rest of the living body and is inversely proportional to the degree of burden on the living body due to stress or the like.

The analysis can be performed by any known method, such as analysis by a computer program.

The evaluation method of the present invention is characterized in that an electrocardiogram is measured in a perfume retention room equipped with a perfume spraying device. The perfume retention means a condition where the perfume sprayed by the perfume spraying device stays for a certain period of time. The measurement under the above conditions does not apply excessive stress to the subject and can be performed under routine conditions.

The perfume retention room need not be completely sealed as long as the perfume sprayed by the perfume spraying device is not released outside the room in a short time. In a condominium, building, etc., it is sufficient if the windows and doors of the room are almost closed. Moreover, it is preferable that the scent of the fragrance disappears in a certain time, so that the mental state when the fragrance disappears can also be confirmed. For this reason, it is preferable that there is an air flow that allows the air to be ventilated to the same extent as in a normal room, and an appropriate ventilation facility may be provided.

Furthermore, in order to ensure qualitative and quantitative characteristics in measurements and to perform reproducible tests, it is equipped with air conditioning equipment that can control conditions such as temperature and humidity in order to keep the indoor environment during measurement constant. More preferably.

The said fragrance | flavor spraying apparatus should just be what can spray the fragrance | flavor in the said fragrance | flavor retention room. In this invention, a fragrance | flavor component is given to a test subject by spraying a fragrance | flavor with the said fragrance | flavor spraying apparatus to the said fragrance | flavor retention room. The above method is excellent in that the test can be performed under conditions where there is almost no stress on the subject. Furthermore, the test can be performed in any state existing in daily life, such as non-wake state such as sleeping, sleeping, etc., wake-up state such as awakening, working labor conditions, etc. A wide range of flavor properties can be measured. An example of the working labor condition is keyboard typing. The evaluation method of the fragrance | flavor of this invention is preferable at the point which can test in the state which the test subject awakened.

The spraying of the fragrance may be performed a plurality of times by providing a spray time and a residence time. The spraying time of the fragrance is preferably 1 to 30 seconds, although it depends on the quality and concentration of the fragrance. It seems that the psychological effect is saturated even if the fragrance is sprayed for a longer time. The residence time is the time from the end of the previous spray to the start of the next spray, and the extent that the smell of the fragrance staying in the fragrance retention room disappears and at the same time the habituation to the subject's odor disappears. Preferably, it is preferably 5 to 60 minutes, although it depends on the degree of air ventilation. The subject loses the odor of the previously sprayed fragrance and exhibits a sensitive response to the subsequent spray of the fragrance by eliminating habituation to the odor. By spraying multiple times, the relationship between the fragrance and the human mental state can be examined in more detail.

It is preferable that the fragrance spraying device has a spray control means by an operation from the outside or is provided with a timer or the like. That is, when spraying by the operator's operation from within the fragrance-storing room, the subject can see where the worker sprays the fragrance. Since this may affect the psychological state of the subject, it is preferable to use a fragrance spraying device that has a spray control means by an operation from the outside or that includes a timer or the like. In addition, it does not specifically limit as a spraying apparatus which has the spray control means by the operation from the outdoors, The thing by a remote control, the fragrance spraying apparatus which has a means to operate from the outdoors by providing piping for fragrance | flavor spraying to the outdoor etc. be able to. The test method using the fragrance spraying device having the spray control means by the operation from the outside is, for example, a mode as schematically shown in FIG. The fragrance can be sprayed from the fragrance spraying device 3 by operating the fragrance spraying device operating means 4 outside the room, and the fragrance staying room 2 is not seen by the subject 1 that the fragrance has been sprayed. Perfume can be sprayed.

Moreover, the said fragrance | flavor spraying apparatus may perform a fragrance | flavor spray automatically several times at intervals of a spraying interval with the fragrance | flavor spraying apparatus provided with the timer. An example of the fragrance spraying device provided with the timer and the like is shown in FIG. An example of the fragrance spraying device 5 as shown in FIG. 2 is to open and close the electromagnetic valve 8 by sequence control using a power relay (not shown) and a timer (not shown), and to interrupt the compressed air. It controls the spraying of fragrances. The compressed air can be taken in, for example, from an air compressor (not shown) connected to the compressed air intake 7. The air pressure of the compressed air is preferably adjusted to 0.5 to 1.5 kg / cm ³ . The fragrance spraying device 5 provided with a timer or the like shown in FIG. 2 can spray the fragrance derived from the fragrance bottle 6 vigorously from the spray nozzle 9 by ejecting the compressed air from the spray nozzle 9. The perfume spraying device 5 provided with the timer or the like may be provided with two or more timers. In this case, the spraying time can be set by one timer, and the spraying interval by the other one timer. Can be set. The fragrance spraying device 5 provided with the timer or the like can control the spraying time and spraying interval by setting the timer.

The test method using the fragrance spraying device provided with the timer or the like is, for example, in the form as schematically shown in FIG. By operating the fragrance spraying device 5 provided with the timer or the like, the fragrance spraying device 5 provided with the timer or the like is not seen by the subject 1 in the fragrance retention room 2 without being seen by the subject 1. The spraying of the fragrance can be automatically performed a plurality of times at intervals of the spray.

In the fragrance | flavor evaluation method of this invention, when a fragrance | flavor is sprayed and when it does not (control experiment) may be performed with respect to the same test subject, and these results may be compared. By performing the control experiment, the relationship between the spraying of the fragrance and the mental state can be clarified.

When conducting the control experiment, it is important to reduce the influence of other factors by matching the various conditions in the test sprayed with the fragrance and the control experiment as much as possible.

That is, environmental factors such as measurement start time, measurement day of the week, room temperature, humidity, etc .; food intake status, wake-up time, sleep time, and factors related to the physical condition of the subject such as menstrual cycle when the subject is female Thus, the psychological effect of the fragrance can be judged more precisely.

According to the method of the present invention, the stress of the subject at the time of measurement can be minimized, and the influence of the fragrance on the human mental state can be easily evaluated under the same conditions as in daily life.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples.
The experiment was conducted with 9 healthy women (ages 29 ± 5 years, 25-34 years) as subjects. The fragrance-retaining room uses an air-conditioning facility that can control room temperature and humidity, a ventilation facility that prevents fragrance residue, and a laboratory with interior, furniture, and lighting that can be comfortably spent for a long time. did. Further, as a portable long-term electrocardiogram recording apparatus, a two-channel portable digital long-term electrocardiogram recording apparatus (Cardiometic RAC-2102, Nihon Kohden, Tokyo) was used.

In the experiment, the fragrance was sprayed for 3 seconds at 10 minute intervals by an automatically controlled spraying device installed in the laboratory. In addition, as a sample for the experiment, bergamot was used as a fragrance. Bergamot is a fragrance ingredient that is traditionally said to have a mirror effect. In the experiment, a 2% ethanol solution of bergamot (manufactured by Takasago Inc.) was used. In addition, measurement of no scent (control experiment) was performed under the same experimental conditions. In the control experiment, only ethanol (Vehicle) was sprayed on the same schedule using the same apparatus. During spraying, spraying was performed for 3 seconds at 10-minute intervals by an automatically controlled spraying device installed in the laboratory. The experiment started at 9 o'clock in the morning and 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

In the experiment, the experiment conditions other than the spraying of the fragrance were set to be the same as possible in the experiment in which the fragrance was sprayed and the control experiment. In particular,
(1) In order to statistically remove the influence of the day of the week and the time on the results, the measurement of scented and non-scented (control) was performed at the same time on the same day with an interval of one week.
(2) The order of measurement based on the presence or absence of a scent was randomized for each subject so that the interaction between the presence and time of the scent could be removed.
(3) The bedtime on the day before the measurement and the wake-up time on the day were made substantially the same in each measurement based on the presence or absence of the scent.
(4) In order to minimize the influence of the estrous cycle, consideration was given so that the measurement was performed twice for each subject in either the luteal phase or the follicular phase.
(5) The subject was allowed to avoid intense exercise from the day before the measurement date.
(6) A light meal was taken at least 2 hours before the start of the measurement, and subsequent food intake, smoking, alcohol or caffeine-containing beverages were prohibited.
(7) In each measurement, the subject was allowed to perform standardized work with the same time schedule. In video appreciation, video was screened using a video display (VT-25DV30, manufactured by Sharp Corporation) installed indoors. For the questionnaire, each of the 103 adjectives related to mood, anxiety, tension, and comfort was subjected to the task of using a visual analog (VA) scale to indicate how much the psychological state at that time applies. For reading, 10 general women's magazines were prepared and freely read. For keyboard typing, a personal computer (PCG-6C2N, manufactured by Sony Corporation) was used with software for typing practice (MAZ typing, manufactured by Zefai).

(Measurement of heart rate variability)
ECG is played back for a long time with an electrocardiogram reproduction system (DSC-3100, manufactured by Nihon Kohden Co., Ltd.), and all QRS waves are labeled (sinus rhythm, ventricular extrasystole, supraventricular extrasystole), with an accuracy of 8 ms. The total RR interval was measured. The result of QRS wave labeling was edited by one of the authors (m) on the same system, and all labeling errors were corrected. In all the measurement data, there was no data loss due to noise or the like, and in any measurement, the extrasystole was 0.1% or less of the total heart rate recorded.

From the obtained RR interval data, heart rate variability analysis was performed on a personal computer (Pentium (registered trademark) 4, 2.8 GHz, Kobo Terra). After interpolating the RR interval time series with a step function, it was resampled at 2 Hz, and the amplitude and frequency of HF and LF components were continuously measured by complex demodulation (CDM). For the heart rate variability analysis by CDM, self-made software by FORTRAN95 was used. Details of the principles of CDM and the performance of the software were reported elsewhere. CDM is a nonlinear time domain analysis method that continuously measures the instantaneous amplitude and instantaneous frequency of fluctuations included in a preset frequency band as time variables. In this study, the frequency band of 0.04-0.15 Hz was measured for measuring the LF component, and the frequency band of 0.15-0.45 Hz was measured for measuring the HF component. The substantial time resolution of the LF component amplitude measurement of heart rate variability by CDM is 15 seconds, which is even shorter for the HF component. From the CDR of RR interval data resampled at 2 Hz, the amplitude and frequency of both components are calculated every 0.5 seconds. The measured values are calculated in consideration of the above time resolution and the purpose of this study. Averaged every minute.

Independent of cardiac vagus nerve activity, the amplitude of the HF component increases due to a decrease in respiratory rate accompanying tidal breathing and an increase in tidal volume. In this study, in order to consider the possibility that the scent affects the amplitude of the HF component through the influence on respiration, the frequency of the HF component reflecting the respiration rate was measured simultaneously.

(Questionnaire data processing)
Responses to 103 VA scales on the questionnaire were measured as continuous variables ranging from 0 (not applicable at all) to 100 (completely applicable). For the purpose of examining psychological factors related to the influence of the scent component on the amplitude of the HF component, the relationship between the amount of change in HF amplitude due to the presence or absence of scent and the change in VA scale was analyzed.

(Statistical processing)
For statistical processing, SAS statistical package (SAS institute, carry, NC, USA) was used. The influence of the presence or absence of a scent on the heart rate variability index is a three-way configuration including the effects of watching videos, questionnaires, reading, and typing work, the interaction between the presence and absence of scents and the work, and the individual differences of subjects. Evaluation was performed by analysis of variance (the presence or absence of fragrance × work × subject). To analyze the relationship between the amount of change in HF amplitude due to the presence or absence of fragrance and the change in VAscale on the questionnaire, the amount of change in the HF component amplitude during the answering of the questionnaire is the dependent variable, and the amount of change in each VAscale of 103 items VAscale that best explains the change in the amplitude of the HF component and model creation were performed by the variable selection method using the multiple regression analysis with the variable as the dependent variable. The criterion for variable selection was P <0.15. For the determination of statistical significance, P <0.05 was adopted, and in the multiple comparison, the type 1 error level α was corrected to <0.05 by the Bonferroni method.

FIG. 4 shows changes over time in the RR interval, the amplitude of the LF and HF components, and the frequency of the HF component obtained from a single representative subject. In the measurement with bergamot spraying, the RR interval was longer (rear pulse) and the HF component amplitude was larger than the control experiment, but the LF component amplitude showed a certain tendency. I couldn't. The frequency of the HF component increased during typing. In the figure, V represents video viewing, Q represents a questionnaire, R represents reading, and T represents typing.

FIG. 5 shows the least mean square value of nine subjects. Compared with the control test, the bergamot spraying increases the RR interval during typing, increases the frequency of the HF component, and increases the amplitude of the LF component during video viewing, and the amplitude of the HF component under all operations. Increased.

Table 1 shows the analysis results of the effects of bergamot spraying and work content on the R-R interval and heart rate variability components by three-way ANOVA. The table interaction represents the interaction of the RR interval and the heart rate variability component. Bergamot spraying increased the amplitude and frequency of the HF component, even though the effects of work and individual differences were adjusted. Although the influence of the work content was seen in all the indicators, in the multiple comparison, the RR interval and the amplitude of the HF component were larger during video viewing and reading than during the questionnaire and typing (α <0.05). ). The amplitude of the LF component was significantly lower during typing than in other tasks (α <0.05). The frequency of the HF component was significantly increased during typing (α <0.05) than during other operations. The interaction between the fragrance and the work content is recognized in the amplitude of the LF component and the frequency of the HF component. The action of lowering the HF component amplitude of the bergamot spray and the action of increasing the HF component frequency are higher during typing than during other work. Was also large (α <0.05).

Since Bergamot increased the amplitude of the HF component regardless of the work content, the psychological factors related to this increase were analyzed in relation to the response to the questionnaire. As a model for explaining the increase amount of the HF component by the bergamot spray when answering the questionnaire by the multiple regression analysis, a model composed of the increase amounts of the VAscale bergamot spray of five items was extracted (Table 2). This model almost completely explains the increase in HF components in 9 cases (model R ² = 1.0). The HF component is increased by the amount of increase in VAscale in two items, “feeling good” and “settled”. More than 75% of the variance in amplitude increase was accounted for.

The method for evaluating a fragrance according to the present invention is a method for evaluating a fragrance in the case of using the psychological effect of a fragrance such as aromatherapy. By this, various fragrances are evaluated to obtain a higher psychological effect. It will be helpful.

It is an example of the figure which shows the test method in the case of performing the fragrance | flavor evaluation method of this invention. It is an example of the perspective view of the fragrance | flavor spraying apparatus in the case of performing the fragrance | flavor evaluation method of this invention. It is another example of the figure which shows the test method in the case of performing the fragrance | flavor evaluation method of this invention. It is a figure which shows the time-dependent change of the R-R space | interval obtained from the electrocardiogram of the test subject who performed the fragrance | flavor evaluation method of this invention, the amplitude of LF and HF component, and the frequency of HF component. It is a figure which shows the least mean square value of the result obtained from the electrocardiogram of nine test subjects in an Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Test subject 2 Fragrance retention room 3 Fragrance spray apparatus 4 Fragrance spray apparatus operation means 5 Fragrance spray apparatus 6 equipped with a timer etc. Fragrance bottle 7 Compressed air intake 8 Electromagnetic valve 9 Injection nozzle

Claims (5)

A method for evaluating a fragrance by applying a fragrance to a subject,
The subject stays in a perfume retention room equipped with a perfume spraying device with a portable long-term electrocardiogram recording device in an operating state,
The evaluation is performed by spraying a fragrance on the fragrance retention room and analyzing the relationship between the spray of the fragrance and the measurement data of the electrocardiogram for the long time electrocardiogram recording apparatus. The fragrance | flavor evaluation method of Claim 1 with which the said fragrance | flavor spraying apparatus has a spray control means by the operation from the outdoors, or is provided with a timer. The fragrance | flavor evaluation of Claim 2 which opens and closes a solenoid valve by sequence control using a power relay and a timer, and controls the spraying of fragrance | flavor by intermittently compressing air. Method. The fragrance | flavor evaluation method of Claim 1, 2, or 3 which sprays the said fragrance | flavor, and provides spray time and residence time, and is performed in multiple times. The method for evaluating a fragrance according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the test is performed in a state where the subject is awake.

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