Two‐Phase Electrocoagulation of Perfumes and the Analytical Approach for Investigation of the Odor‐Active Compound Changes

In this study, a 2-phase electrocoagulation (EC) system has been applied to treat odor active compounds in perfume extracts. The system employed an electrochemical cell using two aluminium electrodes and 2-phase electrolyte containing hexane, NaCl(aq) and the perfume compounds. This approach allowed electrochemical reaction of the compounds with the subsequent changes of their profiles in the extracts. The volatile compounds in the samples before and after 2-phase EC sampled at different parts of the system were tentatively identified by using solid phase micro extraction (SPME) and gas chromatography hyphenated with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results revealed different types and amounts of the odor active compounds in the samples after the 2-phase EC treatment with the enhanced fruity, floral, sweet, green, minty, herbal and citrus smells. The electrochemical oxidation/reduction and esterification/hydrolysis were proposed as the possible reactions. The developed 2-phase EC technique has a potential for application in the area of cost-effective adjustment of essential oil and perfume quality.